Surprise delivery: Baby born in car park

Chantelle Cox in the car park of Caffe Primo on Main South Rd, where she gave birth to daughter Kiera. Picture: ROGER WYMAN Source: adelaidenow

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A MORPHETT Vale woman who left hospital after being told she was "not really in labour" gave birth to a girl in a car park hours later as she tried desperately to make it back in time.

Chantelle Cox, 25, said when her contractions started early last Sunday morning her partner, Dan Ansell, 25, drove her to Flinders Medical Centre.

She was admitted about 2am and was assessed for several hours before being told she was not progressing.

"They sent me home at 7am and said nothing is changing, you are not really in labour - don't come back until your contractions are a minute apart and are lasting a minute," Ms Cox said.

The couple drove to Ms Cox's mother Shirley's home in Christies Beach where contractions continued until about 11.30am, when Mrs Cox insisted that her daughter return to hospital.

Chantelle Cox together with her daughter Kiera and her mum Shirley . Picture: ROGER WYMAN

The family started to make the drive back to hospital. At 11.45am, they had to pull over in the Caffe Primo car park, on Main South Rd, after Ms Cox realised she was about to give birth.

"I just remember getting to the car park and she was born within two minutes," Ms Cox said.

"She came out by herself - I basically coughed and she was out."

Ms Cox said an ambulance crew arrived seconds before the birth and could only look on as her mother caught baby Kiera and placed her on her chest.

"The ambulance crew then wrapped Kiera in blankets and held her while Dan cut the cord," Ms Cox said. "I didn't notice if there were any passers-by, I don't think so because no one stopped. I don't think I would stop either - I would be running."

Kiera Louise Ansell weighed 2.96kg and mother and daughter were taken by ambulance back to Flinders.

Ms Cox said holding her healthy daughter helped her overcome fears which surfaced during the birth of her son, Curtis, two years earlier.

"I was really hesitant about going home because my son came out not breathing (and had to be resuscitated)," she said.

A hospital spokeswoman said Ms Cox had been assessed over a four-hour period by a doctor and a midwife.

"According to patient records, the woman was not deemed to be in established labour and was given the option to go home by a midwife, which she did," she said.

"It is common practice for experienced midwives to manage women in labour."

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