A mum gave birth to a baby girl on the back seat of a POLICE CAR outside a maternity ward – after hitching a lift when she got stuck in TRAFFIC during a snowstorm.
Emily McBride, 20, went into labour at 5.30am on Friday (13/1) and started making her way to hospital with her partner Tom Carson, 23, at around 7am.
But the pair got stuck in traffic caused by the snowstorm which battered Britain around three miles away from the maternity unit.
Luckily, quick-thinking Tom managed to get the attention of a police car attending to an accident and told them Emily was about to give birth.
The couple jumped into the patrol vehicle and were rushed to Royal Stoke University Hospital on blue lights.
Maternity staff had been alerted by the Staffordshire Police’s control room to expect a woman who was in labour.
Four midwives who rushed to meet them outside the maternity ward realised the expecting mum didn’t have time to be taken inside.
Instead Emily was forced to give birth on the back seat of the police car just yards from the entrance to the hospital in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs.
Baby Darcey Carson-McBride, who weighed 6lbs 9oz, was born at 8.56am before being rushed into the maternity suite.
Yesterday (Sun), mum-of-two Emily, who is now back at home with Darcey, said: “We were in Tom’s mum car and we thought we wouldn’t make it because the traffic was so bad.
“I just remember getting in the police car and shouting at them to go faster.
“About four midwives came rushing out and I was trying not to push because I wanted to go inside and wanted gas and air.
“But they told me we didn’t have time and they had to pull my trousers down and tell me to push.
“It all happened very quickly and then we were taken inside.
“We are lucky we spotted the police car otherwise it might have been Tom and his mum delivering her and I don’t think they fancied that.
“Darcey is doing well and the officers who drove us here have already been back to see us to check how we are.”
The couple were halfway between their home in Stone, Staffs., and the Royal Stoke University Hospital when they got stuck in traffic in Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs.
Full-time dad Tom, who also has a one-year-old son Logan with Emily, said: “We were on the way to the hospital and her contractions were only a minute-and-a-half apart.
“The traffic was really bad because there had been an accident caused by the snow which had been coming down heavy all night.
“I jumped out and got the attention of a police car and as we were transferring Emily from my mum’s car her waters broke.
“It only took about five minutes to get to the hospital because they had the blue lights on and were flying down the wrong side of the road.
“The midwives pulled Emily’s trousers down and I heard one of the police officers say: ‘I can see the head’.
“I just told Emily she had one big push and then out popped Darcey.
“The police officers were great and we can’t thank them enough for what they did.
“They came back to the hospital to see us but only after they had cleaned their back seat which was quite a mess.”
Staffordshire Police yesterday sent their “very best wishes” to Emily, Tom and Darcey.
A spokesperson added: “Both mother and daughter are doing well.
“The father is relieved, our officers needed a cup of tea and the patrol car’s back seat, well let’s not mention that. It’s fine now.”
Sharon Wallis, head of midwifery at Royal Stoke University Hospital, also thanked the officers for making sure Darcey arrived safely.
She said: “The police brought them to the hospital but mum did not make it out of the car.
“Maternity staff were in attendance and both mother and baby are well. Both were then admitted to the delivery suite.
“The police officers did a great job and the staff would like to thank them for their assistance.”
