First baby born on remote Scottish island in more than 30 years

A baby has been born on the remote Scottish island of North Ronaldsay for the first time in more than three decades.

Duncan Wilder Thorstein Traill Suarez Ford was born on September 15, marking the first birth on the island in 34 years, his mother Alice Traill Ford told CNN on Thursday. North Ronaldsay is Orkney’s most northerly island, and is only three miles long and two miles wide.

Traill Ford, fiancé Jorge Suarez and family split their time between Costa Rica and North Ronaldsay, and the original plan was for Duncan to be born in Costa Rica, she said.

The family had return flights booked when they arrived in North Ronaldsay, but the birth plan changed when they landed.

“I knew instantly that it would be the most special, magical and supportive birth that I could give him,” said Traill Ford, whose family bought the island 1727.

“My connection to the island is what brings me back every year,” she said. “Every year since I was a baby.”

“I feel this island had a hand in raising me and it’s for that reason that I felt the greatest sense of connection and belonging with the energy here, especially in my ancestral home,” added Traill Ford, who gave birth at Holland House, which was built by her ancestors.

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According to Scottish government figures in 2024, the island’s population was 72. Traill Ford told CNN there are now 51 people living on North Ronaldsay.

“Everybody’s very excited,” said Traill Ford, who gave out small bottles of whisky decorated with four leaf clovers and small shells known locally as groatie buckies, which are meant to bring good luck.

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“They’re kind of extended family, it feels like… a giant family, island family, distant relatives,” she added.

As for why no children have been born on the island in so long, Traill Ford believes that it may be due to a lack of healthcare facilities, with no doctor or hospital, and only a resident nurse

“I believe it’s because people feel maybe afraid of the things that might be able to go wrong in childbirth and so they feel safer being in a hospital where everything is available for the support that they may need in case something were to go wrong,” she said, adding that it takes around two hours and 40 minutes to reach the mainland of Orkney by boat.

“If you’re in an emergency then the coast guard helicopter would fly out for you otherwise if you’re well enough then you would need to travel into Kirkwall (on) the mainland,” she said.

三十多年来，苏格兰偏远的北罗纳德赛岛首次迎来新生儿。

邓肯·怀尔德·索尔斯坦·特雷尔·苏亚雷斯·福特于9月15日出生，这是该岛34年来的第一个新生儿。他的母亲爱丽丝·特雷尔·福特周四告诉CNN。北罗纳德赛岛是奥克尼群岛最北端的岛屿，长仅3英里，宽仅2英里。

特雷尔·福特、未婚夫豪尔赫·苏亚雷斯和家人在哥斯达黎加和北罗纳德赛岛之间轮流居住，她说，最初的计划是让邓肯出生在哥斯达黎加。

一家人抵达北罗纳德赛岛时已经预订了返程机票，但落地后分娩计划发生了改变。

“我立刻就知道，这将是我能给他的最特别、最神奇、最有支持性的分娩，”特雷尔·福特说道，他的家族于 1727 年买下了这座岛屿。

“我对这座岛屿的感情让我每年都回到这里，”她说。“自从我还是个婴儿的时候起，每年都是如此。”

“我觉得这座岛屿对我的成长起到了重要作用，正因如此，我对这里的能量，尤其是我的祖宅，产生了最强烈的联系和归属感，”特雷尔·福特补充道。她出生于荷兰屋，这座房子是由她的祖先建造的。

这些偏远的苏格兰岛屿生产了过多的清洁能源，现在该怎么办？

根据苏格兰政府 2024 年的数据，该岛人口为 72 人。特雷尔·福特告诉 CNN，现在北罗纳德赛岛上居住着 51 人。

“大家都非常兴奋，”特雷尔·福特说道。他分发了一些小瓶威士忌，瓶身上装饰着四叶草和当地称为“groatie buckies”的小贝壳，据说这些贝壳能带来好运。

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“他们就像我的大家庭一样，感觉就像……一个庞大的家庭，一个岛屿上的家庭，远房亲戚，”她补充道。

至于为什么岛上这么久都没有新生儿，特雷尔·福特认为这可能是由于医疗设施匮乏造成的，岛上没有医生或医院，只有一名常驻护士。

“我认为这是因为人们可能害怕分娩过程中可能出现的问题，所以他们觉得在医院里更安全，因为那里可以提供一切所需的帮助，以防万一出现问题，”她说道，并补充说，乘船到达奥克尼大陆大约需要 2 小时 40 分钟。

“如果你遇到紧急情况，海岸警卫队的直升机会飞来接你；否则，如果你身体状况允许，你就需要前往大陆上的柯克沃尔，”她说。