York hospital's first babies: 'It was so quick, I gave birth with my clothes on'

As York maternity unit celebrates its 40th birthday we track down its first mums and babies from 1983/4

DOROTHY Popplewell almost never made it to York's new maternity unit for the birth of her son Kai.

It was 40 years ago this week that the new unit was officially opened by the Archbishop of York.

And 40 years ago this day that Dorothy gave birth to her son, Kai, at the spanking new maternity base which replaced Fulford hospital.

But it could have been quite a different story.

Dorothy, now aged 63, of Easingwold, lived in Raskelf at the time - a good 16 miles and 40-minute drive from York.

She said: "Kai was born at 11 minutes past midnight on May 8th. It was a very quick labour. I didn't even get my clothes off, it was very rushed!

Dorothy Popplewell with her son Kai- on his birthday May 8 1983 at York maternity unit and today as he marks his 40th birthday. Photos supplied

"I had to travel to York from my home in Raskelf at about 11.20pm, first dropping off my two-year old daughter at my parents' in Easingwold.

"If it had been normal traffic, we would not have made it."

But Dorothy did make it - and baby Kai was born weighing a healthy 7lb 11oz.

All was well with mother and son, and, ordinarily, Dorothy would have gone home soon afterwards. But she was asked to stay a bit longer, because the new unit was having a VIP visitor to mark its official opening.

"The Archbishop of York was coming and they wanted mums to stay until after the visit.

"I remember him coming in and asking something like: 'is it a girl or boy?'

"As soon as he was gone we went home!

"I really don't remember that much about it all except how quick the birth was!"

Today, Kai, a York postman who lives in Easingwold, will be celebrating his 40th birthday with a family meal out at one of his favourite restaurants. He is expecting his first child in a few weeks' time. His elder sister Amy has had six children - all born in the same room (number 4) at York maternity unit! No wonder this part of the hospital is a special place for Dorothy.

York mum Deborah Highfield will always be part of the maternity unit's history too - her son Michael was one of the unit's first Christmas babies, born at 7.11pm on December 25, 1983, weighing 8lbs and 7½ oz.

Although the official opening date of the maternity unit was in May, the facility actually began receiving women some six months earlier.

A photo from The Press archive dated December 5, 1983, shows the inside of an ambulance which is transferring mums-to-be from the old Fulford Maternity Hospital over to the new York District Hospital at Wigginton Road.

And another of our archive photos shows four women all proudly showing off their new babies - all born on Christmas Day 1983.

December 1983: Christmas Day babies and mothers at York District Hospital maternity unit. From the left Deborah Burns with Michael, Wendy Cunningham with Paul, Sandra Gallagher with David and Caroline Comito with her baby boy, who has yet to be named.

We ran these photos in The Press and online last month, hoping to track down some of these women and some of the first babies born at York maternity unit.

Like Dorothy, Deborah got in touch to tell us her story.

She is on the far left of the group photo of 1983 Christmas babies, and was then called Deborah Burns.

And she has lovely memories of having a Christmas baby at the new hospital unit.

"It was a special thing having a Christmas baby. Father Christmas came round to bring presents for all the babies born on Christmas Day.

"And then The Press came to take our photo. I remember we had to stand with the babies about half an hour as one of the ladies had gone away to have her hair and make-up done for the photo!"

Deborah went on to have two other sons at the maternity unit - Anthony and Adam.

Sadly, Michael died in 2017 aged just 33.

Deborah, now 61 who lives in Skelton, said: "He was very intelligent - he spoke fluent Russian and learned Spanish. He was book mad. One of my proudest moments was when he gave me away on my wedding day in September 2013. We buried him in the same suit."

Deborah Highfield (then Burns) with her son Michael at York hospital on December 25 1983 and 30 years later on her wedding day. Photos supplied and from YEP

She said it was lovely to remember Michael's birth and all the fuss made over him at the hospital.

"At first there were six of us on a ward and then I ended up in a single room. There was so much fuss made over him; everyone kept telling me how beautiful he was."

Gemma Ellison was one of the first babies born at the new unit - on January 14 1984. She has since gone on to give birth to her own children at the unit: Rufus, six, and Mabel, two, and in a twist of fate is now one of its bosses!

Gemma Ellison - one of the first babies born at York's new maternity unit in 1984, and now one of its bosses. Photos supplied

Gemma, who went into NHS management straight from university, is now the associate chief operations officer for family health, which includes the maternity department.

She said: "It is just a complete coincidence that just as I started working in family health it is having its 40th birthday. I am as old as the department and was one of the first babies to be born here."

She added: "It is some place special. It is where I started, where my babies were born, and I now have the opportunity to work in this area. We are starting on a journey, embarking on an improvement programme, and it is an exciting time."

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