The mother of a baby born on a Toronto roadside has thanked the helpful stranger who assisted with the emergency delivery.
Newborn Charlie Jay Hoover’s dramatic arrival on March 21 made it the “most memorable day” of his mother’s life.
“On that morning, I woke with a bit of discomfort, which gradually worsened as time went by, and by 11 am, I was sitting on my bed thinking back to when I was in labour with my daughter – I knew the pains were familiar,” mother, Chey Hoover said.
“As the day went by, the contractions got worst, and by around 5 pm, I called John Hunter Hospital to ask when I should arrive at the hospital.
“They told me to hold off until the contractions were two to four minutes apart, which they never got down to.”
By 6.30 pm, Chey, who was still at home, called her sister after her pain became unbearable.
She said her hardest task during the labour was walking down 18 stairs to reach her vehicle.
“Once we got out of my driveway, I had a gut feeling I had left it too late to get to a hospital or to have an ambulance make it to me,” she said.
“Three minutes after leaving home and not even making it out of Toronto, my water broke. I started to freak out because I knew the baby was coming.”
The pair pulled over on Anzac Parade before calling 000, and Charlie was delivered at 7.17 pm that night.
“I had a sudden urge to push … my sister could see Charlie’s head, and I knew Charlie wouldn’t wait until an ambulance arrived,” Chey said.
Chey said she was grateful for the intervention of a stranger, who saw the desperate pair and decided to assist.
“A woman appeared out of a house nearby … she must have seen us on the side of the road with our car hazard lights on,” she said.
“My sister was down on her knees trying to deliver Charlie, and the woman came racing over with a towel and took over talking to the 000 operators.”
Chey said despite the labour being quick, Charlie’s delivery was far from smooth sailing.
“Whilst pushing, Charlie got stuck and after what felt like forever, we finally delivered him,” she said.
“As my sister delivered Charlie, she unwrapped the umbilical cord that was wrapped around his neck and got him breathing.
“After a long 10 or so seconds, he let out a little cry, and we knew everything was okay.”
As no ambulances were in the area, the pair waited on the side of the road for 17 minutes until assistance finally arrived.
“Two ambulances arrived with four beautiful paramedics, and for one, it was her first night on the job,” Chey said.
“It was the most memorable day of my life, and I’m so happy my sister was by my side to do what she did because things may not have had the same outcome as they did without her.”
As for the helpful stranger, Chey tracked her down on Facebook, and while she hasn’t had the chance to thank her personally yet, she intends to in the coming weeks.
“I’m so thankful for her help … she’s someone I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Maia O’Connor
That awsome congrats