A quick-acting dad helped deliver his own baby daughter, after she arrived in a hurry just as nurses stepped out of the delivery suite.
And photographer Jennifer Mason was there to capture the incredible moment.
“We knew her birth was going to be be unique when she went into labor just shy of 35 weeks, but we never expected dad to catch baby himself in the hospital room with no one around!” Jennifer explained.
“This family knew that they would probably deliver their baby early, due to past history of preterm births,” Jennifer added. “All of their other kiddos came early and this baby was no exception! They were well-prepared for anything that could go wrong, but I’m not sure they anticipated this.”
Inconvenient contractions began for her client at around 34 weeks, according to Jennifer, who is also the co-founder of Birth Becomes You, and motherly instinct warned her the baby wasn’t far away.
“The parents drove an hour to the hospital of their choice and my client’s water broke shortly after they got out of the car. I knew we would soon be parents after she informed me her water had broken. They had just entered their room when I got to the hospital. When I arrived, everything were a little disorganized.
“The hospital staff was busy and it took a while for them to get to their room. After their intake and getting situated in bed, the nurse stepped out for a moment and I quickly turned down the lights. I could see that my client was working through intense contractions very quietly. I remember thinking that this baby would come soon, but I didn’t realise it would be THIS soon.
“Just a few moments later, my client had one BIG contraction. At first, I thought it was just a big contraction and I didn’t expect to hear what she said. Next, my client said to her husband, ‘Catch the baby!’. We looked down and their daughter was here! Her husband and I helped pull down her mesh underwear and dad caught his daughter and gently handed her to his wife.
“Their young child started wailing soon away, and we all knew she was fine. Even though she arrived early, she immediately pinked up and looked fantastic.”
Jennifer says it was a truly beautiful moment, and one she was grateful to experience. Mum and dad were super happy and excited to meet their baby. At the time of birth, I was trying to help my client, while taking photos and I also called the nurses station.