A relieved family toasted the safe arrival of their newest member after his dramatic entrance into the world in a pub car park.
Mum Emma Attwood, 31, had been on her way to hospital when she was forced to give birth to baby Zachary on the back seat of her mum’s Vauxhall Zafira in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Luckily, her quick thinking mum spotted a space in a Leeds pub car par and pulled over so that Emma could safely give birth.
Emma had been in labour since 1pm on Friday and her contractions were three minutes apart when her mum Amanda Attwood, 48, arrived to take her and partner Danny Balan, 31, to hospital.
But just minutes later, they started coming thick and fast and horrified Emma realised the baby was coming.
Emma, from Leeds, West Yorks., said: “We left at 12.40am but two minutes up the street I had the urge to push.
“Danny rang through to LGI and put them on loudspeaker and they told my mum to pull over wherever she can. So she took us to the White Swan car park.
“I was glad, to be fair – she just needed to pull over anywhere. LGI said they would ring an ambulance to come to the car park.
“The ambulance was only around the corner, it turned out, and we saw it drive past us. So Danny ran into the street after it while mum got everything ready in the car, moving things about.”
Emma sat across the back seat of the car with her mum on one front seat and Danny on the other.
“It was a bit of a tight squeeze. The paramedics wanted me to get into the ambulance but before I even had chance to move, his head was out,” said Emma.
Just minutes later, at 1.05am, baby Zachary James was born safe and well, weighing 8lb 2oz.
After Danny cut the cord, mum and baby were taken to LGI where they stayed until Sunday.
Looking back now, Emma, who has two other sons Brogan, nine, and Teddie, one, said the experience was “absolutely perfect”.
“It was brilliant – a right story to tell.”
Mum Amanda said: “Emma did really well, I’m very proud of her. I was alright until we went into the ambulance and then I got quite emotional.
“I’d never have set off I’d known what would happen. She could have been in bed and not scrunched up in the back of a Zafira.
“It’s the only time I’ve been pleased I have a Zafira. My last car was a Micra.”
Danny added: “It was a bit scary because I didn’t know what to do. I was thinking ‘what can I do to make this easier?’ but there’s nothing I could do – Emma was having the baby. I was relieved when the paramedics came.”
ENDS
