There are things pregnant women know they can't do when they are close to baby's due date -- don't fly, don't run marathons if that's not your thing, don't expect to see your feet, and don't travel too far from your house; in fact, stay home, cancel everything, and wait! Okay that last one isn't for real, but when you are in those final few weeks or days, sometimes you think twice before entering an elevator, taking a subway, or doing anything that isn't ideal for birth because what if you have to give birth right then and there.
One expectant mom thought nothing of traveling. In fact, she went to a whole other country. And soon after she boarded a ferry to start her journey home, it was go-time. Go-time for her meant that in 10 short minutes, baby would arrive.
After visiting family in Paris, a very pregnant Aissada Coulibaly was travelling home to Peckham in the London area with her husband Tiemoko and 2-year-old daughter Karidja-Lilly. They were on board the ferry Pride of Canterbury, and just as it started crossing from Calais to the Port of Dover at 6:45 a.m., Aissada started having contractions.
If I had to guess what Aissada was thinking around this time, it would be ... False alarm, please make it be a false alarm! I can't have a baby on a ferry!
First aiders Andy McAllister and Shirley Fulton, along with Dee Leir and Kerenza Read, came to help the family and realized quickly that there was no time for anything -- baby was coming NOW! In 10 minutes, a baby girl was born! The ship returned to port and Aissada and her newborn, along with her family, went to a Paris hospital. Both mom and baby are fine and, in fact, returned home just a few days later.
The Coulibalys named their little baby girl Mariam-Calais -- Calais being the port the ferry was in when she was born. Beautiful!
Ten minutes. Kind of makes you re-think even taking an elevator while near your due date, doesn't it? Kind of also makes you realize how amazing our bodies are, how nature takes over.
Do you or did you avoid traveling too far while near end of pregnancy? What do you think of this story?
Image via mamihood/Flickr
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Comments 43
They always show women in movies and in TV going into labor and having their baby minutes later. Most of the time it doesn't work that way, but every now and then it does. I didn't restrict my travel any. We traveled to another state after I discovered I was 2.5 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced at 36 weeks. My appointment was the day before we left. I was really uncomfortable, but it didn't stop us taking the already planned trip.
I'm so glad I delivered at a birth center this time. If I'd been going to a hospital, I would not have left home yet because I wasn't that far along. When "that far along" hit, baby was here ten minutes later. I'd have given birth in the car or the hospital parking lot!
When I was 8 months pregnant I moved from London England to Dayton, OH. All the docs said I couldn't do it - I did. hat was 16 yrs ago & one of the best decisions of my life. Who knows? My daughter might be president of the USA someday!
I had my 2nd (and last) in 7 min. He tried coming 5 weeks early and every WED after that I had to go in for a check up appt and usually ended up always having to spend the night on a monitor. The one WED they didn't keep me, they told me if I felt anything at all to come back. Sure enough...the following Friday, my back hurt more than normal. I went in, they broke my water (the say accidentally or it happened on its own) and 7 min later there he was. I do not want to ever have to worry about not making it somewhere safe so there will be no more lol. My 1st was born in a 1/2 hr...if I take the time difference between the two, I'd be at under 5 min for the next so no thanks lol.
Man and i thought giving birth to my son in 6 hours was fast. I was soooo wrong lol