Couple reunited with paramedic after emergency birth in Chelmsford ambulance station car park
Two parents and their young child have met up with a paramedic who helped in a dramatic birth in the car park of Chelmsford Ambulance Station. Alex Rowson was at home in the Old Beaulieu area of Chelmsford when she began the early stages of labour in November 2022.
She was checked out at Broomfield Hospital and told to go home and wait until the following day when she was due to be induced. However, by 4am the following morning, Alex’s contractions were coming too quickly and husband Tim called the hospital to say they were on their way.
They left their home but, just ten minutes into the journey, it became apparent the baby was not going to wait until they got to the hospital. Alex recalled: "I said to Tim, you’ll have to pull into the ambulance station.
"He went to the door and rang the bell to see if someone could come and help. The ambulance crew came out to the car, I pushed, and one of them caught the baby.
“They took her inside because it was cold. That was the scariest time, because although we had heard Cecilia cry and we had great help from the paramedics, we realised that we weren’t at hospital with all the resources a maternity ward would have. However, they told me that Cecilia had done really well on the tests they carry out on newborns, and that she was just a bit cold from being born in the footwell."
Alex was then helped from the car and mother and baby were taken by ambulance directly to the maternity unit at Broomfield Hospital, where the midwife team took over. After Cecilia’s first birthday came around, Alex and Tim decided they would like to thank the crew that helped them, and a meeting was arranged recently.
Mike Sage, the paramedic who delivered the baby said: “Crews at the station were delighted to meet Alex and Tim again and see how well Cecilia is doing. They've adopted her as a kind of mascot as her birth certificate states her official place of birth as 'Chelmsford Ambulance Station'."
Mr Sage added: "It was lucky to have the staff on station around 4am on that night shift, we were restocking the ambulance after attending an RTC. It was a great team effort to ensure that mum and baby were well looked after on that very cold morning. I would like to thank Alex and Tim for coming forward to share their patient experience and it was a pleasure to be a part of bringing Cecilia into the world."
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