A Derbyshire mother has today been reunited with the EMAS team who helped deliver her baby boy in an emotional and life-threatening home birth four years ago.
On the evening of Sunday, 29 August 2021, Akilah Newton from Chesterfield went into labour with her first child, Alexander, and was admitted to hospital. At just 2.5 cm dilated, she was advised by staff to return home and rest, with them estimating several more hours before the baby would be born. With Covid-19 restrictions still in place across the country at the time, hospital regulations were strict, and Akilah was discharged around 10pm.
However, by the time she returned home, her labour had unexpectedly progressed rapidly. At approximately 11:30pm, her family called 999 as the situation became critical.
Emergency Medical Advisor Alison Williams took the call, with Akilah’s family alerting Alison to the serious situation currently unfolding enabling her to get Akilah and her son the help they desperately needed.
When the crew of paramedic Jodie Paskin and technician Charlotte Hutsby arrived on scene, they were met with Akilah’s mother-in-law, flagging them down as Akilah’s baby was already crowning.
Akilah said:
“I asked if they were taking me to hospital, and the crew said, ‘Unless you want to have this baby on the side of the road, we’re doing this now’”
Jodie and Charlotte administered gas and air, ensuring Akilah was in the best possible position to give birth at home. Just under 20 minutes after the crew arrived on scene, at 12:05am on Monday 30 August, baby Alexander was born, however he was in distress at birth with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck.
Akilah also suffered significant tearing due to the speed of the labour, resulting in substantial blood loss.
A midwife arrived shortly after delivery and worked with the crew to stabilise both Akilah and her baby. During initial checks in the ambulance, Akilah’s heart rate was found to be dangerously low.
The crew made the rapid decision to blue light Akilah and Alexander to Chesterfield Royal Hospital urgently, accompanied by her husband Andy.
Once at the hospital, Akilah and Alexander were handed over to the care of teams within the maternity unit. In the emotion of the moment, she never had the chance to properly thank the EMAS crew who had helped her through one of the most terrifying experiences of her life, until today.
She said: “It was absolutely overwhelming and terrifying, but I have nothing but good thoughts and memories of the team that day. They were my angels.
“It has been an amazing day for me, to see those familiar faces come through the front door again, knowing how impactful they were on our lives.”
Jodie said:
“It has been a really nice experience as you don’t usually get to see the aftermath of the jobs that you go to. This is what we come to do. It is nice to hear the impact we have had on the family and their lives with them wanting to meet after all this time.”
Charlotte said:
“It has been lovely to reconnect with the family and see Alexander now running around, happy and laughing after what happened on the day he was born.”