Knowing how fast she laboured on her first child Rosie, Hannah Dade decided to leave her home in Barry. When her contractions were five minutes apart.
Despite leaving earlier, Hannah, who was accompanied by her partner Lewis Jones, 32, and his father, still didn’t make it to the hospital in time. And she ended up giving birth to baby Alice Violet Jones in the front passenger seat of her father-in-law’s car following a police escort.
It was bizarre, it was like something out of an action film
Hannah started having contractions naturally on two days before her due date.
“I was playing out in the garden with Rosie and it was nice and sunny. We took some nice photos of her looking at my bump, and I realised I was having contractions.
“We live about 20 minutes from the Heath, and we were told that we needed to leave to get there when my contractions were every three to four minutes.
Half-way between the couple’s home and the hospital. Hannah’s waters broke and her father-in-law pulled over to prepare to wait for an ambulance.
When a police officer pulled behind them and told them to move along.
Her father-in-law said ‘My daughter-in-law is having a baby’. And the police man just said ‘off you go’ and she said the baby is literally coming .
The police said they would blue light us to the hospital.
Another two police cars came so there were about four of them driving in front of us and behind with their sirens and lights on.
And because she obviously had no pain relief she was really aware of things going on.
In-between the contractions she could see all these police cars around us.
An ambulance had been called ahead prepared to meet the family outside the hospital.
On arrival, Hannah said the medics tried to encourage her into a wheelchair but she knew it was too late and she needed to push.
The midwife said the baby‘s head is there push through.
In about six minutes of us being outside the hospital, Hannah said her baby girl was born on the front seat of her grandfather’s car outside the antenatal unit.
“Everything was absolutely amazing. When the baby was born they put her on my chest with everything still attached and I got onto a bed and got wheeled into the hospital,” added Hannah.
“She was still all attached and she was on my chest. And when we got in to the delivery room that’s when Lewis cut the cord and I had skin to skin and they weighed her that sort of stuff.”
Alice was born at 1.20am weighing 7lb 2oz and she and Hannah spent another night on the ward before getting to go home on Thursday.
The couple want to express their thanks to the amazing midwives. And staff on the maternity unit at the University Hospital of Wales.
You honestly don’t know how much your professionalism and kindness are appreciated. Thank you so much.
