Woman who gave birth in car on side of the road says her baby was out in four pushes
When it comes time to welcome a baby into the world, some parents can find themselves waiting in the hospital for hours on end with labour stretching out for anywhere between 12 and 24 hours - while others can simply pop one right out without breaking a sweat.
Mum Jade Mead definitely falls under the latter.
The fitness coach, who resides in Perth, Australia, raced with her husband to make it to the birth center on time when she felt herself go into labour with her daughter Lottie.
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But it soon became clear that they weren't going to make it, and would have to pull in on the side of the freeway to have their little girl.
"We were driving on the freeway, trying to make it to the birth centre, but my body started pushing, and my husband knew we weren’t going to make it," Jade, 35, recalled.
"He kept reassuring me that everything was going to be ok and that I could do this."
While they waited for the paramedics to arrive, Jade's husband sprung into action, although he didn't need to work for too long since baby Lottie was out in just four pushes.
"My husband said that a fair few cars drove past but they probably didn’t realise what was happening because it was dark and in an industrial area," the mum shared.
"He also had taken his shirt off to cover me and up, so he probably looked a bit wild running around the car with no shirt on.
"At the time, I was definitely in shock, and my body was shaking and shivering I think from adrenaline."
While paramedics did make it to help with the final stages of the birth, Jade says it was her husband who caught Lottie when she came out.
"He is chuffed that he was the one who delivered her," the mum spilled.
"I’m just grateful that me and bub were completely fine, and now we have a pretty cool story to tell our daughter of how she was born."
Just ten hours later, Jade and her husband were back at home with baby Lottie to introduce her to her big sister Marli.
"She walked up to the bassinet and was all cute and shy. She said hi to the baby and then she asked me if the baby has hands because she was wrapped up," said Jade.
"We sat Marli on the bed so that she could hold the baby. She said the baby looks so cute and that she is going to call her Lottie.
"While Marli was holding the baby, all of a sudden said to me, 'Oh, I've got one more thing for you', and she grabbed my face and gave me a kiss.
"I said to her 'Thank you, what was that for?' and she said 'That's for you, you look stunning and beautiful.' My heart melted.
"It's been almost three weeks now and Marli has been such a great big sister - helping us with the baby and always wanting to hold and cuddle her."
Ali Condon