Feeling right at home in dual birthday bliss
ANDREW and Mikaela Watts can’t wait to celebrate their joint birthdays together this week. It’s a case of history repeating itself. On a cold winter’s day back in July 1996, there was no stopping Mikaela entering the world.
Andrew Watts was about to be delivered breakfast in bed by his three children for his 29th birthday when wife Sue went into labour.
An ambulance was called but when it arrived a short time later, little Mikaela’s cries had already filled the house.
Sue had given birth to the tiny bundle of joy in bed, her husband acting as an impromptu midwife. “It was a bit of a shock,” Andrew said. “I mean, it happened all so quickly. People said to me afterwards that I must have been brave and a quick thinker to handle the situation OK, but you didn’t have time to think.”
The Norlane couple planned to have the delivery in the Geelong hospital birthing unit but Mikaela became one of the four of five home births that took place at that time each year.
Her speedy delivery made it onto the front page of the Geelong Advertiser and Andrew had plenty of feedback from the general public.
“I was pretty calm at the time of the birth but funnily enough I was sort of shaking and nervous once Sue and Mikaela were taken away in the ambulance,” he said.
“Plenty of people came up to me, even a few strangers in the street, to say they read the article and congratulate me. It was a strange few weeks.”
Sue has planned a surprise birthday getaway with Andrew to mark his 50th birthday while Mikaela will spend the day in a relaxed fashion.
However, before Andrew jets off, father and daughter plan to have a quiet celebration to reflect on two decades of sharing birthday cake, candles and cards together.