Grandmother delivers grandchild in Coventry
A grandmother who helped to deliver her grandchild has thanked ambulance staff who gave instructions over the phone when her daughter went into labour.
Sonia Campbell, 43, of Hinckley, Leicestershire, arrived at Kirsty Bates' Coventry home, just as she was about to give birth.
With her daughter's partner Rob McPhearson taking instructions over the phone Ms Campbell delivered the baby.
She said it was a wonderful experience but she had been panicking throughout.
Miss Bates, 21, of Tile Hill, had been due to give birth on Sunday with Ms Campbell on standby to look after her first grandson, Aaron, aged two.
On Friday she got a call to say Miss Bates had gone into labour.
She said: "I work nearby and it is a ten-minute drive to her home.
"But by the time I got there she was in full-blown labour.
"There was no way she could have got to hospital."
With Mr McPhearson on the phone to paramedics, she helped Miss Bates through the labour.
"Rob was relaying instructions but I was concentrating so hard I could not remember what he was saying," she said.
"I was really panicking inside but was also trying to keep Kirsty calm."
The whole labour took just 20 minutes, by which time paramedics and a midwife had arrived.
Baby Corey, who weighed 8lbs 14oz, and Miss Bates were taken to hospital for an overnight stay but were well after the drama.
"It was a wonderful, wonderful, experience but in all the panic we did not thank the paramedics and the midwife.
"We just wanted a chance to say thank you," she said.
A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said it is great to hear mother and son are doing well.
"Giving birth in such situations can be very stressful," he said.
"Our call centre staff are very experienced in helping people at the scene to deliver children."