Mum Gives Birth in a Hospital Lift After Being Sent Home During Labour

A UK mother who was sent home from hospital during labour has given birth in a hospital lift in front of complete strangers.

Antonia Kennedy was about to give birth to her fourth child and was already in her pre-labour when she decided to go to the hospital. However, a midwife told her to go home and said it wasn’t time yet.

Hull Daily Mail reported that Antonia knew she was in labour, having given birth to three other children.

Before going to the hospital, Antonia said that she called the Hull Women and Children’s Hospital and described the length and frequency of her contractions. The hospital told her to wait a few hours, but Antonia felt she needed head in. So, she and her partner Phil arrived at the hospital, and she was examined by a midwife. “She said that I wasn’t in established in labour at all, and to go home or go shopping for a couple of hours,” she said.

Despite not wanting to go home, she left, but within minutes, Antonia said she knew the baby was close and couldn’t wait any longer.

“We went back to the hospital. I had a contraction in the car just outside and I said to my partner, ‘I can hardly walk’.

“We got to the front door, I had another contraction, somehow we got the run to the lift, got in the lift and my waters broke inside the lift.

“As the doors were about to open, I said to my partner ‘I’m pushing. He’s here’.

“The lift doors opened. He had no choice but to pull my leggings down and luckily caught baby Oscar in his arms in front of another family that had just had their baby and a porter.”

Baby Oscar weighed 6lb 15oz and Antonia brought him home on Thursday night.

Antonia has since made a formal complaint, saying: “It was appalling. I knew I was definitely in labour but the midwife kept saying she was about to finish her shift and I should go home. This was my fourth child and I only had my third a year ago so I know what labour feels like and I know what it’s like to give birth. It isn’t like I don’t know my own body and it was so embarrassing, the way in happened in front of strangers.”

A spokesperson for the hospital has since apologised to what happened. “We would like to apologise to Ms Kennedy if she feels let down in any way or is unhappy with the clinical care she received. Pregnancy and birth can be unpredictable, even for experienced women, and situations can change very quickly. We can confirm we have spoken to Ms Kennedy and we will be in contact with her again this week.”

Sources: Kidspot.com.au and Hulldailymail.co.uk