Firefighter does a home delivery
A Knysna firefighter last week had an emergency of a somewhat different kind on his hands when his wife went into labour and they realised they would not make it to the hospital in time. No problem, a crisis is a crisis and it needs attention, so the brave Dorian Innes helped his wife Faralene deliver their new baby boy in the comfort of their home on Friday 2 October.
This act of bravery has now earned him the title of "Doc Innes" among his colleagues, but for Dorian, it was "a privilege" to be able to deliver his own bouncing baby, Alarick.
"We were on our way out of the house to the hospital, when my wife said she feels something coming out and cannot go any further. We went inside and with the help of my nine-year-old boy we managed to phone the ambulance, and prepare pillows and towels to help her," Dorian told Knysna-Plett Herald.
The proud father of three said when the baby came out the umbilical cord was around his neck, and he had to pull it to prevent the cord from strangling his son. "I delivered my healthy baby boy at 7:01 but I did not cut the umbilical cord as I did not have the proper equipment to do so," he said. "Luckily I am a firefighter and I have medical training. I completed the first-aid Level 3 course and the knowledge and experience came in handy during the delivery." Dorian said the ambulance arrived after he had delivered the baby. "They took my wife and son to the hospital where they spent a day and came back home," he said.