Early birth means late wedding

Sam Jamieson and Janet Harraway with Will. Photo / Otago Daily Times

An early arrival disrupted wedding plans and saw the ceremony transferred to the Dunedin Hospital chapel.

Dunedin resident Sam Jamieson was set to marry Janet Harraway at the Registry Office on Friday and have photos taken in the Botanic Garden before a dinner with friends and family at a Dunedin restaurant. But on the Monday his 35-weeks-pregnant fiancee was admitted to Dunedin Hospital with pre-eclampsia, a disorder during pregnancy, where a rapid rise in blood pressure can cause seizure, stroke, multiple organ failure and death of the mother and baby.

After a terrible few days, he and the couple's son Rowan Jamieson, 4, were pleasantly surprised by an announcement from a nurse on Thursday morning.

"They said 'you're having a baby today' and I was like 'what'?"

A few hours later, Will Jamieson was born five weeks premature.

Family and friends still had flights from Christchurch, Wellington and Brisbane booked so the couple decided to get married in the hospital chapel on Saturday morning, he said.

Mr Jamieson said everything had worked out well and although Will was in intensive care, he and his wife would be fine.

"The hospital staff have been amazing and so accommodating to make this happen."

Hospital chaplin Wendy Knauf said there had been about 90 weddings in the hospital since the chapel was built but most ceremonies were in wards because often the bride or groom were too sick to leave.