A baby boy has made a dramatic entrance into the world, arriving in the front seat of the family car just minutes from hospital.
Geelong mum Cassie Walters thought she would be able to make the five-minute drive to University Hospital Geelong, but only got a few hundred metres down the street before she had to stop and deliver her baby.
(left to right) Elliotte Gardner, Todd Gardner, Cassie Walters with baby Levi, ALS Paramedic Joel Woolley.
Baby Levi Gardner was born at 11.05pm on March 7, just 35 minutes after Cassie started having regular contractions.
“My partner was on the phone to Triple Zero (000) and they told us to pull over and talked him through what to do,” Cassie said.
“Levi was here before the ambulance, but he only made a tiny little cry at first, so we were very relieved once the paramedics arrived.”
Geelong Senior Team Manager Ben Francis was the first paramedic to arrive at the scene.
“The baby was being held by his dad in the front seat, but he wasn’t crying or breathing as well as we would have liked to see,” Mr Francis said.
“As we cared for Levi, we requested extra assistance for Cassie who also required treatment.”
Levi was ventilated and taken to hospital, with his condition improving on arrival.
“When we handed him over to the nurses he began crying which was a big relief to everyone,” Mr Francis said.
Levi was taken into special care, but improved quickly, and could be reunited with Cassie a few hours later.
The family was able to go home after spending two nights in hospital.
Cassie, now a mum of two, described the experience as a blur.
“I don’t think we’ve fully processed how it all happened,” she said.
“Despite how he came, he seems to be a really relaxed baby so hopefully that continues.”
The family was delighted to reintroduce Levi to one of the paramedics who attended the case.
ALS Paramedic Joel Woolley said it was wonderful to reconnect with the family.
“It was a great outcome and as a parent myself, I can’t imagine how stressful it would have been,” he said.
“We don’t often get the chance to follow up with our patients so it was fantastic to see them all doing so well.”
