Ireland's baby boom looked as if it was never going to end, until now.
The latest HSE birth figures show only two counties recorded a slight increase in births in Ireland.
Elsewhere, birth rates are still on the decline.
It is estimated out of the 19 maternity hospitals nationwide, 61,902 babies were born last year.
This is a significant drop compared to 75,554 babies being born in 2009.
Mayo claimed the title for the biggest fall in birth rates, the figure recorded last year was 1,547 births, down from 1,650 in 2016.
Despite a 5.3 percent drop in births at the National Maternity Hospital in Holles Street, Dublin, it remains a baby hub with 8,619 babies being delivered, according to the HSE's end-of-year performance report.
Bucking the downwards spiral was Portlaoise Hospital and Mullingar Hospital.
Births rose from 1,485 in 2016 to 1,552 last year in Portlaoise maternity unit.
Additionally, Mullingar hospital assisted seven more births last year than in 2016.
The continued decline could signal a future problem for Ireland's ability to finance the growing, older population.
The Census 2016, showed an increase of people aged 45 and over at 37.2 percent of the population, that's a rise from 34.4 percent in 2011 and 27.6 percent in 1986.
