DIY mum delivers her own baby
18Jun08
THIS is DIY to the extreme.
Herveys Range woman Elizabeth Hankin was mother, midwife, obstetrician and nurse in one when she delivered her son Lachlan in the front passenger seat of the family car at 9.40pm on Sunday.
Her mother Bev Krogdahl was driving her to the hospital down Herveys Range Rd when Lachlan decided he was coming out.
"I didn't realise it was happening," Ms Hankin said.
"We live on the top of Herveys Range, so when my water broke we phoned the ambulance and said we'd meet them on the road - but we didn't get to the ambulance in time.
"He was born in the passenger seat while my mum was driving.
"All I can remember is saying to Mum `drive faster'."
The do-it-yourself delivery happened between a truck stop and a boarding kennel on Herveys Range Rd.
Elizabeth and Michael Hankin have named their baby Lachlan Michael Steven Hankin.
Ms Hankin, who already has daughters aged two and four, said she started having slow contractions on Sunday morning and expected her newborn would be a `midnight baby'.
"But in the car I could feel it all happening, whether I liked it or not," she said.
"I pulled the front of my pants down with one hand and I lifted him up with the other hand and put him on my chest.
"Mum said `what do we do now, do we just go home?'.
"I think she was a little bit in shock."
Mrs Krogdahl wasn't the only one in a bit of a daze.
Ms Hankin said when ambulance officers arrived they were surprised to find the hard work had already been done.
"The ambulance officer asked me if I wanted to walk over to the ambulance," she said.
"I had to laugh when I reminded him I was still attached to Lachlan."
Lachlan weighed 3.98kg and was 53cm long.
Both mum and baby are now enjoying the comforts of Townsville Hospital's maternity ward.
