Baby Bump! My Little Smasher’s Shock Arrival
Emily’s newborn made a very dramatic entrance
Driving to the hospital appointment, I was so excited. Maybe today I’d get to meet my baby girl! She was only three days overdue, but I was desperate for my littl’un to arrive.
I’d booked a stretch and sweep – a simple procedure that sometimes starts labour – to try to get things going.
My partner, Dean, 32, was in the driving seat with me beside him, and our boys, Tyler, 5, and Leo, 4, were in the back.
But, suddenly, out of nowhere... Crash! We were in a smash with another car.
The airbags inflated as I jolted forward, and I felt the seatbelt tighten around my heavily pregnant belly.
As I jerked backwards, I could hear the boys screaming in the back seat.
Stunned, I looked over at Dean to see he was totally dazed – the door his side was crushed, and he couldn’t get out of the car.
I clambered out of the passenger door, desperate to get to my boys.
‘It’s OK, it’s OK,’ I reassured them, shakily.
Dean climbed over to the passenger seat and escaped from the wreckage.
But he couldn’t move his right arm.
Then, as I grabbed Tyler and Leo, smoke engulfed us. There was petrol spilling
everywhere.
Shock
Terrified the car would burst into flames, we ran to the other side of the road.
I sat down on a bench and sobbed. As shock set in, I felt numb all over.
My body wouldn’t stop shaking. But I had no time to think about myself, I was more concerned about the boys.
Leo had a really huge bump on his head.
An angry seatbelt line ran all the way down Tyler’s chest.
‘My chest hurts,’ my oldest
The seatbelt tightened around my pregnant belly...
boy cried in pain. Then it hit me… ‘What about my baby?’ I cried. Was she still alive? She wasn’t moving. She’d always been so active. Even that morning, she’d been kicking away. And now... Nothing. Suddenly, my brother Matthew, 26, and his wife Danielle, 26, were by my side.
It turned out they’d been on the bus behind us with their kids on their way to a bank-holiday fun fair.
They’d seen every second of the crash and Matthew immediately dialled 999.
Danielle crouched in front of me, holding my hands.
I was pouring with sweat. ‘It’s all right,’ she said to me gently, trying to reassure me.
After what felt like forever, the ambulance finally arrived. ‘I need to hear my baby’s heartbeat,’ I wept.
My tears wouldn’t stop. At the hospital, Tyler and Leo were rushed to Paediatric A&E. Dean and I had to stay in adult A&E.
I wanted so badly to be with my boys, or in maternity getting my baby checked over.
But the doctors insisted I was given the all clear, before they scanned my baby. Eventually, we learned that the boys and I both had whiplash. Dean’s elbow was badly bruised. Finally, at 4.30pm, I was allowed to go and get our baby checked out.
But, as I stood up... Gush! My waters had broken.
I was rushed across to the Maternity Unit at Hull Women’s and Children’s Hospital and, just four hours later, at 9.25pm, our beautiful baby girl Lexi, was born. ‘She’s a healthy 9lb 3oz,’ the midwife said, handing her to me. She was so beautiful and thankfully the crash hadn’t hurt her at all. It was a huge relief. Humberside police li said there’d be no ongoing investigation, it was just an unfortunate road traffic accident.
lexi is our little smasher – in every way!
Smooth journey
The next morning, I woke up in absolute agony. My belly had the bruise of a seatbelt all the way across it. My right boob and my thighs were black.
I could barely sit up and moving my shoulder left me wincing in pain. But, to my relief, I was allowed home.
I was a bag of nerves getting a taxi home from the hospital, especially with our precious new cargo.
Thankfully, it was a perfectly smooth journey!
Now Lexi is 7 weeks and we’re both fully recovered.
You’d think she’d be a little drama queen after the way she came into the world, but she’s such a bubbly, happy baby.
I can’t wait to tell her the story of her dramatic arrival one day when she’s older!