Special delivery for baby Mikael
Proudmomentforhero dadassonisbornincar
A superdad experienced his “scariest but proudest”moment when he delivered his newborn son in the back of the family car.
East Mains dad-of-four David Cuthbertson says he got the shock of his life when he was given no option but to pull over and deliver little Mikael at the side of the road.
David and his wife Wilhelmina were nine minutes from Wishaw General Hospital when the eight-pound tot caught his mum and dad short.
But thanks to the quick-thinking and heroic actions of his bewildered dad, Mikael was safely delivered – just 15 minutes later – in the back seat of their seven seater Ford C-MAX.
Electrician David (41) told the News that, after a week of false starts, his 36-year-old Finnish wife of 10 years had gone into labour at around 7am last Tuesday.
He said: “Wilhelmina began having contractions two days before her due date. We dashed off to hospital but got caught in the morning rush hour.
“We had been driving for about 45 minutes when her contractions got really close together. As we drove up Airbles Road [in Motherwell] she said we needed to stop, she wasn’t going to make it.
“I pulled over somewhere quiet, next to a church, and quickly called A&E.
“I was told to call 999 for an ambulance so while I did that we both started throwing the kids’ car seats out the back seat.”
In a panic, David told the operator: ‘the baby’s coming!’ and was instructed to get Wilhelmina onto her back.
David added: “Wilhelmina was saying she couldn’t she was in too much pain but we managed it.
“I noticed people starting to look out their windows at this point as they could hear Wilhelmina screaming.
“I was terrified but laughed when she asked me if I could see the baby’s head. I told her I wasn’t going down there! But there was no time to think, the paramedics hadn’t arrived yet so I had to act.”
After what seemed liked an eternity, David says he saw “the head, then the fingers then the toes”. Mikael entered the world at 7.55am. The proud dad was cradling his newborn son in his arms when the ambulance pulled up.
He admitted he wasn’t able to cut the umbilical cord, though, as he was still in shock.
“I was in shock but when I sat in the back of the ambulance holding Mikael I started crying”, said David. “I was overcome with emotion.” He added: “The whole thing was such a blur. I was so relieved to get him out safely but it was a lovely, amazing experience to be a part of. I now have that memory to cherish forever.”
David said Wilhelmina recovered quickly and they were both thrilled there were no complications.
Speaking about her hero husband, Wilhelmina joked that he had stolen the limelight from her, adding: “I’m just relieved everything worked out fine.
“All I remember is shouting: ‘where’s the ambulance?!’
“Having David deliver the baby wasn’t an ideal situation but it is a nice story to tell. He took it all in his stride.”
After a short spell in hospital, Mikael was allowed home to meet his siblings Oliver (8), Emilia (6), and four-year-old Lily on Friday.
And the proud parents revealed upon hearing where his little brother was born, Oliver exclaimed: “That’s disgusting!”
I was overcome with emotion