Georgie MacFarlane had gone to the island’s Mignot Memorial Hospital with signs of labour.
Staff there decided that she needed to go to Guernsey and the fastest way to do so was on the lifeboat.
She arrived in Guernsey within a matter of hours and gave birth by emergency Caesarean section between noon and 1pm.
But with such a young baby, staff decided that Hamish needed to go to the UK and so mum and baby were flown across by Guernsey medevac operators Gama Aviation and taken to the neo-natal unit at Bournemouth Hospital.
‘By all accounts it’s one of the best in the country,’ said dad and States member Iain MacFarlane, better known in the island as ‘Buster’.
Within four days, Hamish was off breathing tubes and feeding properly.
This was not the first time that the lifeboat had helped the family, with their next youngest child, nine-month old Arlie, arriving at 35 weeks.
Despite the unusual events surrounding Hamish’s birth, Mr MacFarlane said it was the sort of thing that islanders were used to.
‘It’s not a massive issue, although I can see how some people would find it quite daunting,’ he said.
Alderney parents are typically encouraged to come to Guernsey at 38 weeks in advance of any labour issues to offer better security for the birth.
The couple have two other children, aged 18 months and three years, plus a 12 and 14-year-old of Mrs MacFarlane, all of whom are being looked after by Mr MacFarlane, who runs The Campania pub with his wife.
They usually both cook for the patrons but while his wife is away and he is keeping busy with the children, the pub is serving drinks only.
He thanked the crew of the lifeboat and the staff at the hospitals who had seen Mrs MacFarlane and helped her and Hamish, and Gama Aviation for the medevac.
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