Joy and delight for husband and wife Gary and Julie Middleton on the birth of their second child
Little Ellianna tipped the scales with a healthy weight of 8lb 6oz.
Julie Middleton is a councillor on Derry City and Strabane District Council.
Mr Middleton said: “Julie and I are delighted at the birth of our daughter Ellianna.
“Our son David has been blessed with a beautiful sister who we’ve no doubt he will love and cherish, as we all will.
“We are indebted to the amazing staff at Altnagelvin Hospital, particularly midwife Rachel.
“We are so grateful for the many kind messages we have received.”
Party colleague and East Derry election candidate Gregory Campbell shared an image of the happy couple with their newborn.
“At every election we see candidates going to great lengths to get a good picture, and it can often include babies. But good friend Gary Middleton has to have the pic of the campaign. What a scoop,” he said.
Mr Middleton spoke in the Assembly in April during a motion about a baby loss certificate and pathology service.
He said: “I speak from personal experience: my wife experienced several baby losses prior to 24 weeks.
“The excitement that comes with pregnancy, the bonding, the planning, the life that exists within, and the terrible, painful, sudden and traumatic loss prove to make the grieving process all the harder.
“In our case, when medical professionals could not find an answer as to why, we, of course, were left with a very painful and private grief, with no formal way of acknowledging the loss due to not reaching certain date-based thresholds.
“The pain in those instances is much more than just physical, and we, as a family unit, know that a formal certificate to mark our babies’ lives would have helped profoundly.”
He said such certificates would serve as a reminder that parents were not alone, that their baby’s life mattered, and that their baby will never be forgotten.
Mr Middleton added: “It is important to pay tribute to the many groups, charities and individuals who have worked tirelessly to provide support to bereaved families.
“Such organisations are strong advocates for the many babies who have sadly passed away, unaccounted for on death registers but forever loved and missed in their parents’ lives.”
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