It's not like she had a crystal ball or anything, but still, when during routine prenatal care your midwife starts giving you tips on what to do should you find yourself giving birth in a car, you have to wonder. Especially if you actually end up doing just that.
That's just what happened to parents Ash and Emma Redpath. Emma told Nelson Mail that when her midwife, Hannah Striker, started talking to her about what to do should she need to give birth in a car, she thought it was ridiculous. "I thought I'm not going to have it in the car. I'm not that unorganized."
Then there she was earlier this month, giving birth to her son, Alex, in the family's station wagon alongside the road.
Emma said her contractions came on hard and fast, so she called the midwife and her mother to come watch their 18-month-old daughter, Chloe. But there was no time to wait, so they headed to the hospital. They never made it.
Ash called the midwife on the way and told her they couldn't go any farther. So he parked under some palm trees on the side of the road, and the midwife came to them, making it "just in the nick of time."
He told the site: "I was stressing because if the midwife had not arrived, I would have had to catch Alex." Fortunately, all was fine, and Alex arrived healthy and hefty at 8 pounds, 11 ounces, with one heck of a birth story to tell. Big sister Chloe was right there in her car seat for it all, but slept right through it.
It's certainly not the first car birth we've ever heard of, but they're still quite rare. And based on my experience and that of the people I know, doctors and midwives don't usually include tips on how to give birth in a car as part of standard prenatal care. Maybe this midwife was just extremely thorough and prepares all of her patients for such circumstances, or maybe she has skills beyond midwifery and should consider opening up a psychic practice on the side. The two certainly could be a pretty powerful combination.
Has a doctor or midwife ever made a "prediction" that came true for you?
Image via Mr. Muggles/Flickr
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Comments 14
I dont think it's so much a a psychic thing, as it is just a very good indicator that you chose a good midwife. Docs dont normally tell you how to prepare for an unexpected delivery, I think for the most part, midwifes cover a lot more personal details.
SO... tips? You'd think some would have been included here. Crazy story! :)
My midwives gave us a copy of "Emergency Childbirth," a small reference book with simple instructions on what to do if someone is in labor anywhere (car, store, cave, whatever). Tips include using new newspaper--inside pages--to catch the baby since it is sterile (only handled by machines)--I thought that was interesting and remembered it. There were instuctions on how to handle various complications and instructions on how to baptize a child (recommended just in case).
Midwives give more total care than most docs do--they ask about emotions and every aspect of life to make sure mom and babe and dad are all doing well in all aspects. Preparing a mom for what might happen seems like normal practice to me, not anythign "psychic."
She sounds like a very thorough midwife to me! Nothing more.