Mum’s baby shower with a difference
A MUM gave birth to a beautiful baby girl – in the shower of her home.
Little Sybil Nimue Mollie was due to arrive into the world on June 2 but she decided to make an early appearance last Thursday.
Her parents Christina and John Shahabeddin, who live in the rural communty of Catcleugh, on the banks of a reservoir in Northumberland, had made preparations for the birth to take place at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
However, their baby came along in “a bit of a whirlwind”.
On Thursday morning, at around 10.30am, Christina felt the first pangs of labour.
John called the midwives at the RVI and the couple were asked to make their way to the hospital, which is about an hour away.
However, Christina, 38, an NHS psychologist, ended up delivering their daughter in the shower cubicle half an hour later.
The paramedics arrived at 11.30am and cut the baby’s cord.
Sybil, who weighed 6lb 13oz, and her mum are both well. And the family, including the couple’s three-year-old son Arthur, are enjoying their time with the newborn.
John, 39, a wedding photographer, said that while he was panicking during the birth, his wife was calm and collected.
He added: “Christina woke up in the morning and was feeling mild pains but she didn’t think she was in labour at that point.
“By 10.30am, she thought she was going into labour and went into the bathroom.
“I rang the midwives and also got Arthur dressed, put him in the lounge with some cartoons on, whilst I threw the overnight bags we had prepared in the car.
“When I returned to the bathroom at 10.45am to collect Christina, to my utter surprise, she told me the baby was crowning.
“It very quickly became apparent that we were going to have to deliver our baby on our own, right there and then.
“In a whirlwind of panic, I called the midwives again to let them know and they sent an ambulance and remained on the phone with us whilst my wife delivered our daughter in the shower cubicle at 11.05am.
“We wrapped our little bundle of joy in a towel and sat in the bathroom and waited for the paramedics.
“A first responder arrived and cut the cord, and an ambulance, followed by a midwife, arrived shortly after that.
“Everything happened so quickly but Christina was absolutely amazing. She was really calm and relaxed.
“My job was to hold the towels. I was the one panicking and thinking ‘oh my God, this is happening. We are having a baby and there’s no medical staff here.’
“It was really surreal. But there were no problems with the baby at all and Christina was fine.
“We were just a bit shell-shocked but we are really happy.”
They named their daughter Sybil Nimue Mollie after the Lady of the Lake.