Swansea: Mum gives birth in traffic jam on way to hospital

Image source, Kim Griffiths

Image caption, Freya gave birth to Rome in her car on the way to hospital

By Catherine Evans

BBC News

A woman gave birth to her 9lbs 8oz son in her car during a frantic drive to hospital.

Freya Flowers, 22, from Neath, was stuck in gridlocked traffic on her way to Singleton Hospital when she got a strong urge to push.

Her mother Kim Griffiths helped deliver baby Rome with one hand on the front seat of her Ford Ka while driving with the other.

Freya said: “It was crazy – it was the longest journey of my life.”

After her waters broke at 05:00 GMT on Valentine’s Day, Freya went into hospital. But staff sent her home, telling her she was not yet in labour.

She returned home with Kim and her three-year-old son, River. But it was not long before she started to feel “a drawing, heavy sensation”, followed by worsening pain.

“We’d got home around 12:30, then by 1:20, Freya was in agony,” said Kim.

“I put her in the car. As it is at 1:30 in the afternoon in Swansea, as we got to Fabian Way, we were in gridlock.

“I was beeping the horn, driving with one hand, trying to make sure she was ok with the other.

“Love her heart, she was just shouting ‘Mam! Honest now, I can’t cope with this!'”

Stuck in traffic, with her daughter screaming in pain, Kim tried desperately to find a place to pull over so she could help with the delivery.

“I phoned the hospital, told them I was on my way with Freya and where we were, they said just to get there,” said Kim.

“I thought there was no way I was going to get there before this baby’s born.

“Then as we got as far as the prison, she was pushing, pushing, pushing, and his head was out.

“So I just made sure that there was no cord around his neck with one hand, while I was driving with the other hand.”

Image source, Kim Griffiths

Image caption, Freya and Rome are both home and doing well, said proud grandmother Kim

As they pulled up outside the hospital, baby Rome was already making his entrance into the world on the front passenger seat of Kim’s Ford Ka.

“They were all standing there waiting. As we pulled in to Singleton Hospital and the nurses opened the door, she was pushing his shoulders out in the car,” said Kim.

“They put a blanket over the doorway so that nobody could see anything and then the nurse leaned in to tie and cut his cord, then they wrapped him up and put Freya into a wheelchair for us to get her up so she could deliver the placenta safely inside.

“I was so proud of her because she’d done so well, love her.”

Freya and baby Rome were back home the same day and are doing well.

“It was so traumatic, unbelievable,” said Kim. “Luckily, he came out healthy and she was ok.

“It could have been so much worse, if there had been any complications.

“I think I frightened quite a few motorists because I was beeping the horn so much, you can imagine – screaming and swearing at them.

“They must have thought who’s this crazy woman coming down the road?’ And Freya had her clothes off trying to get this baby out in the front passenger seat of my tiny little Ford KA!”

“Freya’s still a bit traumatised I think, she’s still in shock.

“But the baby is absolutely delicious, he’s beautiful.”