The plan is usually to go to the hospital. But when babies are involved, plans can change fast. That’s what one UK dad learned when his partner went into labor, never making it past their living room floor.
Martin Boyce, a part-time photographer, planned to document the birth from the hospital. When his fiancée Holly Dawson went into labor this weekend, he methodically got ready for the delivery: packed the car, grabbed the bags, called the parents. By the time Holly’s mother arrived to their home, it was clear that’s where the delivery would be taking place.
“We then had a moment of realization that baby was coming, the midwives weren’t going to make it [in time]," Boyce, who had brought the bags inside and started filming, tells BuzzFeed News. “So I moved to the back of Holly and assumed the catching position.”
Martin Boyce
“The moment I knew it was going to be me who delivered her, I focused and the anxiety left me for a moment. I knew what had to be done,” Boyce says. And 40 minutes later, daughter Isabelle Olivia Boyce arrived. “In the end it was little more than a catch, as [the] baby did a neat forward roll into my hands… along with everything else,” the proud dad says. “I passed her up between Holly’s legs, cleaned her face, and attempted to stimulate her skin a bit…after 10 long quiet seconds [the] baby let out a noise… and [there was] relief of the highest order.”
Martin Boyce
While this may be the latest surprise birth where it’s dad to the rescue, it’s certainly not the only one we’ve come across recently.
NBA player Iman Shumpert delivered his baby girl (also named Iman) in his bathroom, using a pair of headphones to tie the umbilical cord.
Marco Rogers helped his wife, Aniyia Williams, deliver their daughter at home, and Tweeted the entire experience afterwards. You’re going to want to sit down for this one.
Jon Pettijohn took the wheel—literally—during his wife’s delivery, coaching her through labor from the front seat of his car, filming the whole thing with a GoPro.
Sergey Sushko was so frantically trying to get to the hospital that he popped a tire on the parking lot’s curb. That was enough to run out the clock; he helped his wife Angela deliver their son right in the front seat.
As for David Davis? He helped deliver his daughter in the bathroom of his home, and she slipped right through his hands and into the toilet.
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