Mum gives birth in hospital car park after traffic chaos delay

A BABY had to be delivered in the car park of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary – after the city's roadworks turned a 25-minute dash to the hospital into a journey of more than an hour.

The dramatic birth took place in the back of a car as shocked patients and staff looked on in amazement.

It is the first time a baby has been delivered in the hospital car park at the ERI.

Two midwives and their assistants had been on standby in the car park after a series of frantic phone calls from the mother and her fiance as they desperately tried to find a route to Little France that was not blocked.

After seeking advice from the hospital's maternity unit, parents Tammy Duncan and Kevin Hutton, 21, left their Pilton home when her contractions began intensifying at lunchtime on Friday.

But traffic throughout the city was so heavy – made worse by tram works and other road closures – it meant Tammy, 23, couldn't make it to the hospital before giving birth to a healthy baby, Kevin Jnr.

She said: "My contractions were coming more quickly by the minute.

"Kevin was with me in the back holding my hand and reassuring me as calmly as he could, while my mum, Pauline, was driving.

"We had the radio on to help us to relax and I can even remember singing along to take my mind off my labour pains."

After deciding the path through the city centre would be too congested, they made an attempt to reach the ERI by going through Craigentinny and Portobello, but found almost every road they tried had been closed.

Ms Duncan said: "Everything happened so fast. It felt like a crazy scene in a film.

"When we got to Craigentinny Crescent I could really feel the baby coming and we were still at least 20 minutes from the hospital. Then suddenly we found that the road was closed to through traffic, so we carried on further, only to discover to our horror that our path was to be blocked again and again."

They eventually reached the maternity unit more than an hour later, when things bizarrely took a turn for the better and the birth went smoothly.

"I still had my trousers on but I could definitely feel the baby coming," she added. "I was in the back seat with my head on Kevin's lap. All the staff were fantastic."

Screens had to be put up to block the sight of curious onlookers, the car heating was put up to full blast and specialist equipment was rushed to the scene.

Soon after, Ms Duncan gave birth without any pain relief and the baby was taken inside. They were allowed to go home later that night. The couple have another daughter together, one-year-old Caitlin.

Ms Duncan's mother Pauline, 41, who drove the black Vauxhall Astra through the city, said: "After the fourth road block I started to panic.

"Until then I had tried to stay within the speed limit but I must admit I did go round a few corners on two wheels."