Ferrier Mackay-James Arrives!
At about 18h30 GMT+1, on Friday the 27th of May 2005, Ferrier Alexander Mackay-James was born.
Weighing in at 3.2 kg and measuring 50cm head to heel, he and his mum are in fine health.
As is traditional within the Mackay-James dynasty, not everything went exactly according to plan...
This is the delivery room 
(on the back seat)
and this the address: 
We were on our way to the Clinic where Mary was to give birth, stuck in Friday afternoon, month-end rush hour traffic when Mary screamed "he's coming out!". Maureen (Mary's mum) and I told her to hang on and stared grimly at the stationary traffic stretching in front of us, down the Voie Georges Pompidou. I turned round again, to check that she was OK and beheld little Ferrier plopping onto the back seat. "I think we should pull over now" said Maureen, calmy. Fortunately, there was just such a place on the side of the road.
The little Clio dived accross two lanes of irate, hooting French motorists and mounted the pavement. I leaped out of the car and went to check on Mary, who was sitting in the back seat, smiling and holding our son in her arms.
This is the actual spot where he was born. 
This is the ambulance crew, who arrived about 30 minutes after Ferrier did and who were thoroughly amused...
...as was Captaine Philippe HENRY, an off-duty Pompier who stopped to help, called the ambulance and was a real Action Hero.
I'm afraid I didn't have a camera with me at the time (as you don't when you leave the house at that speed) other than the telephone camera which took the ambulance crew, and quite frankly I doubt I'd have used it if it had been with me, so there's no more photographic evidence until the next morning.
Then there's lots!
Click here for Mary's Birth Story. We used the Bradley Method to train for a non-medicated Natural Childbirth and without it we would not have managed as well as we did!
June 05, 2005 in FerrierComments
Wonderfull!
Amazing!
Congratulations to all of you for this great birth. Specially to Mary and Ferrier. (Of course Alastair and Mum were also fantastic!)
I hope to meet Ferrier and all of you next weeek if you have a free moment.
Take it easy, and Enjoy it !
Alejandro
Bien fait Albaybeeeee! Allez, allez, vive la France et les pompiers!
>>Albaybee at June 6, 2005Absolutely love it! You all look fabulous! Gros bisous a tous!
MUAH!
Renee
"..in keeping with the Mackay-James dynasty things did not go to plan" - absolute pearler! well done
>>yarrum at June 7, 2005Congrats to all of you! I'm pleased to see that petit Ferrier shares a birthday with me & not at all surprised that his arrival didn't quite go down as planned. We always knew he would be a non-conformist! :o) Three cheers for the little Gemini and vive la France!
Lots of love,
>>Jeanette at June 7, 2005Wow! COngratulations to you both. So impressed to see you looking so grown up and respectable, Ali, and to Mary- RESPECT! Ferrier is absolutely gorgeous, and I know as I see plench babies in my line of work. Hope you love being parents as much as we do (Leo is almost 9months now). The first month or two can be a bit rough esp if you don't have support, so I hope Maureen is sticking around for a while; but after that it just gets better and better. Lots of love, Lauri-Ann
>>Lauri at June 8, 2005beautiful baby Ferrier!
Congratulation and joy for you.
I wish all the best for Ferrier and for mum and dad of course.
A lot of love for you 3.
Sylvain
wonderful news and pics!! what a story! wishing you all of the best, much love and happiness.
Alex
Oh, Merry! In a car?! It could only happen to you! Congrats to you both... *hugs all round*
>>cacey at June 14, 2005what a lovely lovely baby and such a lovely birth.
congratulations and love to you both and love, kisses and welcome to ferrier. xxx
Nice photos DrF
>>Richard Borg at July 8, 2005Congratulations to the both of you.
Well done!
:-)
Gav, Rachel, Calum & Sophie
>>Gav and Rach at July 10, 2005Waaw !! What a story.
Where's the time...when we were working together in the same office at Exxon, talking about babies in a far future. And look at us now...both parents.
Isn't it great ?!
We wish you both all the best with your lovely baby. Hope we will meet again in the near future.
>>Ellen & Pascal at January 5, 2006Hello, I m Philippe, the french fire man who helped you with my girlfriend a day in summer.
How are you ? thank for your pictures by mail in décember
Is this young Ferrier Mackay-James the grandson of my dear friend, the late Ferrier T. Mackay-James, of Leny Feus, Callender, Perthshire, and Glencruitten House, Oban ?
>>David Micklethwait at March 8, 2006