WHEN Dunfermline mum Arlene Keir signed up to walk over the Queensferry Crossing, friends and family joked she may be the first person to give birth on the new bridge.

Little did they know that baby Ava Hutchison would already have made her arrival nine weeks early and be discharged from hospital just in time to claim her own piece of bridge history.

The teeny tot joined her mum, and dad Andrew Hutchison, big brother Kai, four, and grandad Alan Keir for the walk on the Sunday of the bridge celebrations at the ripe old age of three weeks and six days – which was five weeks before she had even been due to make her first appearance!

"We only got out on the Saturday and I had had made the decision I wouldn't do it but my partner and little boy and my dad would do it," explained customer services advisor Arlene.

"My partner wanted us all to do it as it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"I thought I would email and explain what had happened and someone gave me permission and said I would have to show her birth certificate.

"She had her own little guest pass. It was fantastic. It took us so long to get from the bus stop to the first part of the bridge because we had so many people stopping us. Even Transport Scotland interviewed me about it.

"It was so nice to take part in something like that and have it as a first outing for us as a family of four."

After the excitement of the homecoming and her momentous first day out, Arlene, of Dee Place, is still shocked that she already has her baby girl with her.

"She should still be in my tummy," she added. "I unexpectedly went into labour – my waters had broken and I didn't realise so I was kept in hospital for four days and, all of a sudden, she had other ideas and arrived on August 7, nine weeks early.

"It was a bit scary but she has been amazing. It was pretty hard-going considering we had a four-and-a-half-year-old boy as well to contend with but she is fantastic. 

"She was a tiny three pounds, nine-and-a-half ounces when she was born and is now up to five pounds six. She is doing good and is flourishing really well."