A REDDITCH mum can’t praise A&E staff at the Alex enough after she gave birth on the pavement outside the Emergency Department.
And Sam Holder believes that had she and her husband Marc been forced to drive to Worcester, the outcome could have been very different.
“Save the Alex! I can’t stress how thankful I am to all of the staff, midwives and A&E for not only being there but for looking after us so well,” said the 30 year old.
Sam’s drama began at 11pm Wednesday, May 27, the day after her due date, when her contractions began.
“Given that I had a long labour with my first baby, Morgan, I thought it would be a while before we would need to go into hospital.
“This continued until around 4am, at which point the contractions became much more painful. I rang the delivery suite and they told me to make my way in when I was ready,” added Sam, who works for Foster Care Associates in Bromsgrove.
“At 4.50am the pain was getting unbearable. We woke up Morgan and dropped him off at my parents house at 5am. From there we made the ten minute drive to the hospital.
“I got out of the car just as my waters broke. I managed about 10 more steps before my baby’s head came out,” said the 30-year-old.
“Marc ran into A&E to get help. My baby’s shoulders were completely stuck so there was a delay before the rest of him being born. I could feel the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck.
“The staff at the Alex were amazing and managed to deliver my baby on the pavement and get him wrapped up and warm. It felt like an eternity before I heard him cry, but all of the staff were so calming and put me completely at ease.”
Baby Hugo, a brother to two year old Morgan, weighed in at 10lb 8oz.
“The most important part for me, is that if we didn’t have a maternity unit or an A&E in Redditch, I would have almost certainly have ended up delivering on the side of the road somewhere whilst trying to make it to Worcester,” said Sam.
“In which case my baby most definitely wouldn’t have received that immediate care that he needed.”
