WE WERE IN OUR TINY BATHROOM — IT WAS LIKE PLAYING TWISTER

MATHS teachers James Hunter, 30, and wife Emily, 31, live with daughters Gracie, three, and Orla, six months, in West Yorkshire. James (pictured with Orla) — says: FIVE days after Orla was due, I woke up around midnight hearing funny sounds from Emily in the bathroom and recognised them from her first labour with Gracie three years ago.

Perhaps Emily was in denial but, like that first time, she said she wasn’t in labour. However, moments later she sat on the toilet and her waters broke and we could see Orla’s head appearing.

I needed to get her to hospital, but Emily said there wasn’t time. My first thought was Gracie. We didn’t want to scare her and when she appeared to find out what the noise was, Emily had to hide behind the door. I shuffled her away.

What happened next is all a bit of a blur. I rang my in-laws and when my father- in- law picked up wondering what was going on in the middle of the night, I joked that I was ringing him up to arrange to go on a bike ride.

I really didn’t think the baby would arrive so quickly. By the time they got here ten minutes later, the baby was almost out.

We have quite a small bathroom and trying to deliver the baby was like a game of Twister with Emily on all fours on the tiles and me standing over her with one foot in the bath and one foot out. We’d just redecorated with new carpets and rugs and we were both very concerned about the mess.

After only a few minutes, Orla appeared and — following the advice from the paramedics who were on the phone on speaker — I caught her in a towel from where I was standing behind Emily. It was an incredible moment but I didn’t know what to do next.

The lady said to pass her to Emily and that’s where I made a mistake, trying to pass her around Emily’s leg and not through her legs because she was still attached to the umbilical cord.

But, within seconds, I’d passed her to Emily and she began to feed. It felt like ages until the paramedics arrived. I kept running out to see if they were there.

When they eventually did arrive, the paramedic was walking down the street and I was shouting: ‘The baby’s already here!’ That’s when they started rushing towards us.

Emily and the baby were put in an ambulance and I followed in the car. We were only there for six or so hours. Emily was not fazed by it at all.

It seems completely mad that I delivered my own daughter in our bathroom. I’m not particularly squeamish, although I’m glad I was not a first-time father or it might be a different story.

I’ve set up an email address for both our girls and send them emails and stories about their lives so this was the first story that I sent to Orla — that Daddy was the first one to catch her when she was born. EMILY SAYS: If we hadn’t been in a pandemic, I would have liked a home birth — but not quite like this. I expected Orla’s birth to be quick, but not this quick!

But when the time came, there was nothing stopping Orla from coming out and James was so supportive and did everything he was told by the paramedic.

I can’t say he was as calm as me and I was the one giving birth, but I’m proud of him — I’m proud of both of us that night.