A YOUNG mother’s first pregnancy didn’t go quite as expected, with her brother video-calling the expectant father from the labour ward while he was on a boat.

Mirin Ashley, 20, went into labour on April 19 having travelled from Arran to Crosshouse two weeks before her due date – the normal procedure for mothers-to-be from the island.

But due to the coronavirus lockdown, she couldn’t have any visitors and was only allowed one person to be with her during the birth of her baby boy, Toby.

Knowing that her partner Jake, 27, may not be able to make it to the hospital from Arran in time when labour did begin, she asked her brother Andrew, 24, if he could be there.

Andrew, who is in the British Army, said: “It’s a weird one. No brother wants to sit with their sister through that but I said yes, of course.

“I couldn’t think of anything worse for a woman to go through that on her own.”

When Mirin unexpectedly went into labour early at 3am, she called her brother.

She said: “I was told that the one person who comes in had to be the only person, and they couldn’t swap.

“They were going to be there for the whole thing.”

As Mirin gave birth to her son, the midwives told Andrew he could video call Jake.

She said: “Jake had to get the boat from Arran.

“He was on the ferry on Facetime watching Toby being born.”

Andrew said: “It changed my outlook on childbirth as I’ve always thought women just overreacted about the pain but after having to hear it for 14 hours I now know that it’s not an enjoyable experience.

“Rather Mirin than me, that’s for sure.”

Because of a reduced ferry timetable, Jake had to travel north to Tarbert before driving for hours to Crosshouse to hear Toby’s first cry.

Mirin said: “The midwife said she had found a way for Jake to come to the window.

“They counted the number of rooms along and then told him to count the windows coming down.

“And that was when he saw Toby for the first time.”

Mirin said: “Thank you to the midwives, they were absolutely incredible.

“They work away in such heat and pressure, with those masks on, and were still absolutely amazing.”

Toby Andrew Leese was born at 2.10pm on April 19.