A 39 year old mother-to-be was travelling from Dunoon to the Somerset Hospital on Wednesday for a check-up. When she arrived at the Station Deck minibus-taxi interchange in town, her water had already broken and she was suffering from severe labour pains.
She approached Security SA (SSA) operations staff at the main guard house and asked for assistance. Three SSA officials assisted her to the guardroom while they waited for the ambulance to arrive.
However, the ambulance took too long to arrive and she went into labour. The SSA staff immediately sprang into action and made the mother comfortable by letting her lay on blankets inside the guardhouse room. The guard house was cleared and the guards guided the lady through the labour process.
A baby girl was born at 09:13.
The ambulance arrived and took the mother and baby to the Somerset Hospital for further medical assistance.
‘Stories like this warm my heart. Babies always bring joy. I really want to commend the officers for going beyond the call of duty in delivering this baby and for staying calm when they faced this very unusual situation. They turned a simple guard room into a maternity ward within a few minutes. I am happy that both the mother and baby are safe and wish them all the best for the future,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Alderman Felicity Purchase.