Joiner nails it as he takes midwife role

AN Angus joiner became an emergency midwife for his partner after their son made a whirlwind entrance into the world in their living room.

Katarina Robertson, known as Kat, had planned to have her son Alexander at their home just outside Brechin in a birthing pool – assisted by midwives.

As he was three days overdue, she tried acupuncture and other traditional remedies to induce labour on December 14.

However, while he may have been late in arriving, once he was on his way, his journey into this world was almost instant.

“There were no signs of labour,” said Kat, who works as a bookkeeper for Aaron in their family joinery business.

“Then, all of a sudden, at 4pm, we were watching a bit of TV and (we heard) an almighty noise... it’s so odd I can’t describe the sound of it, but that was my waters breaking.

“There was no pain; it was bizarre. Then the contractions got stronger. It was rapid.

“I’d gone from breathing through the contractions to howling like a dog, because of the pain. I told Aaron he had better get the pool filled up, and call the midwives again.

“I thought I was going to have a heart attack, and I only had six contractions, well, six really intense ones. I could have pushed him out two contractions before I did, after the fourth one.

“I said to my mum Christina, ‘he’s coming’. She was on one side of the sofa holding a leg, Aaron was at the back holding the other.

“One push – me actually consciously pushing – and Alex’s head came out.

“I got about 60 seconds of respite before the next contraction, and then he was out. Aaron caught him.

“I was dazed, but Aaron brought Alexander up on to my chest and the (umbilical) cord stretched that far, thankfully.

“Then the midwives phoned to say they were stuck in traffic, and I told them, ‘Well, he’s already here’.

“Aaron absolutely stepped up to the plate, he was incredible.”

Alexander was born in perfect health, weighing 7lbs 6oz.

The whole process, from Kat’s water breaking to holding her son in her arms, lasted just 35 minutes.

“It’s certainly the most memorable 35 minutes of my life,” said Kat.

Aaron, 46, a self-employed joiner, said:

“I can just really remember Kat saying, ‘he’s coming’, and I said, ‘no, he can’t be’.

“I was a wee bit taken aback by it all. But there was no time to discuss being shocked or anything.

“I didn’t need to help him come out. I just had to take the weight of his head as he was coming out and then grab the rest of his body.

“It was surreal. It felt really good – amazing – to hold him as he arrived. It was a wonderful feeling and there was a bit of a bounce in my step later that evening.”