Home / Health / Dad Delivers Baby in Hospital Room Amidst Midwife Panic
Dad Delivers Baby in Hospital Room Amidst Midwife Panic
10 Mar
Summary
- Father delivered his own daughter after midwife left the room.
- Baby Cleo was born with umbilical cord wrapped around her neck.
- Hospital trust apologized for the stressful and frightening experience.
A father, Matt, found himself delivering his own daughter, Cleo, at the John Radcliffe Hospital Women's Centre on February 21. The emergency birth occurred when the attending midwife reportedly panicked and left the room, minutes before the baby was born. Cleo was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, a situation her father, a former ambulance technician, managed to resolve by unwrapping it.
The mother, Jo, described the experience as terrifying and stated it could have gone terribly wrong, especially given her history of a traumatic previous birth. The couple claims the midwife left the room for an extended period, leaving them to manage the birth alone. They were unable to reach a call button behind the bed for assistance.
Oxford University Hospitals Trust has issued an apology, acknowledging that the experience fell short of their standards and initiating a full investigation. The family has filed a formal complaint. This incident occurs as the hospital's maternity unit is under scrutiny as part of a national investigation into NHS maternity care.
