A Devonport woman has given birth in her car after not quite arriving in time to make it inside the North West Private Hospital in Burnie.
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The woman’s husband rushed in to alert hospital staff after pulling up in the turning circle just outside the hospital’s front door.
NWPH chief executive, Keith Cock, said the incident happened a couple of weeks ago.
Mr Cock said it was his understanding the midwife came to the car to find the baby’s head crowning and helped with the delivery.
Mr Cock said the expectant mother had called the NWPH and spoken to a midwife before she left Devonport.
“It was established on the phone she was in early labour and to drive through to the hospital,” Mr Cock said.
Mr Cock said in hindsight the mother could have been told to call an ambulance but as it was not her first pregnancy and she did not have a history of short labours it was not considered necessary at the time.
Mr Cock said based on information the midwife was given by phone it was decided there was enough time to get to the NWPH.
“If they left five minutes earlier or incurred one less red light she might have made it inside,” he said.
A Government spokesman said “labour can be difficult to predict, and occasionally a baby arrives much faster than the mum expects”.
“It is therefore not unusual for babies to be born before mum arrives at hospital, and this occurs at hospitals everywhere,” the spokesman said.
Mr Cock said the mother and baby were both fine and discharged that same day.
Mr Cock said periodically babies were born in transit but he hadn’t noticed an increase since birthing services were axed at the Mersey Community Hospital.
“I’m aware of the occasional baby being born at home but there are no statistics to say there has been an increase in the number of patients who don’t make it to hospital on time,” Mr Cock said.
He said the Devonport mother in question had also delivered her last baby in Burnie at the NWPH.
Mr Cock said after a normal delivery it was usual practice through the midwifery program, to discharge patients anywhere between 10 and 24 hours after babies were born.
In December it was announced after 12-months of operation a review of centralised birthing services in the North-West was taking place.
