A Swansea woman has praised kind-hearted strangers for coming to her aid when she went into labour - at a petrol station. Sian, 32, had planned to give birth at home, but when midwives weren't able to come to her home, she and her partner got in their car to drive to the hospital.
But baby wasn't ready yet so Sian and her partner Daniel were sent home. Hours later, Sian began to feel great pain, so the pair got back in their car to travel to Singleton Hospital. While en-route, Sian's waters broke suddenly and she and Daniel had to make the brave decision to pull over. They stopped at the nearest petrol station, Northway Garage in Bishopston, and Sian was barely out of her car before she went into labour and gave birth on the grass, metres away from the petrol pumps on Tuesday (July 12) afternoon.
Passers-by immediately rushed to her aid, including an off-duty healthcare worker who had only popped into the petrol station to buy an ice cream, as well as a vet and other locals, whilst garage staff helped shield Sian from the roadside and passing traffic.
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Paramedics arrived at the scene shortly after Sian had given birth and soon whisked her and the newborn home. Both mum and baby are doing well.
Recalling the one-of-a-kind birth, Sian told WalesOnline: "We had planned a homebirth, but when we called to request our midwives to come we were told the service had been suspended and we had to go into hospital. We waited until contractions were far enough apart and went in, but they sent me home as I wasn’t dilated enough.
"The pain started to get quite bad so we drove back towards the hospital, unfortunately my waters went suddenly and I knew we had to pull over as she was coming - my partner was driving and our two-year-old was in the back of the car. I hopped out and laid on the grass!
"I was screaming quite a lot and making quite a scene. The garage staff were amazing and came out to help, my partner called for an ambulance. They brought items from their shop that could give me an element of privacy as I was in view of everyone driving past, they reassured me. Then a wonderful woman called Sharon who works in the health services came to help and she really calmed the matter down. Sharon especially helped my partner keep calm, another lady sat behind me and propped me up. I couldn’t believe how wonderful everyone was but I was in a lot of pain."
Sian and her partner Daniel, who are also parents to two-year-old Amelie, have named their baby daughter Penelope Joy. "We chose this name because we have always loved the name Penelope but my mum actually joked she should be called that after Penelope Pitstop - due to the location she was born!" Sian said. "We chose Joy as a middle name because one of the midwives who arrived told me after everyone was saying she should be called that - as she had brought so much joy to the community."
Asked how she and baby are doing now, Sian added: "We are doing great! Adjusting well, I’m just so happy she is here and my partner was not only able to be at the birth this time (last time he could not due to Covid regulations) but actually deliver his daughter!"
Sian's comments come shortly after she took to social media to ask those who helped her give birth to get in touch. Her posts, shared to various Bishopston community groups on Facebook, received hundreds of likes and dozens of comments from members of the community sharing sweet congratulatory messages. Some locals also noted that the petrol station where Sian gave birth was the same one that tragically saw a car crash on May 31 this year that sadly stole the lives of two 19-year-olds. Some commenters said they found it "profound" and "amazing" to hear such lovely news of the baby's birth, weeks after an awful tragedy.
In a post on social media urging the good Samaritans who came to her aid to get in touch with her, Sian said: "On Tuesday 12 July I did not make it to the hospital in time and ended up pulling into Northway Garage in Bishopston and giving birth there, outside on the green. Obviously this was not ideal for me, as I’m sure you would understand, but I need to find/contact details for those that attended the scene.
"If you were one of the lovely people who helped advise my partner while he delivered our daughter, one of the many healthcare workers who pulled in to help out (no doubt after a long day) like Sharon who only stopped for an ice cream but calmed us down so much, the garage staff who couldn’t have been more helpful by shielding me from the roadside, the kind lady that sat behind me and propped me up, the paramedics who missed it but arrived as soon as they could from Morriston and were so helpful and drove me home and checked me and baby over, whoever called the midwives (THANK YOU) - I believe there was even a vet there?
"If you gave me an item of clothing to keep my daughter warm (we are washing these and trying to return to owners, if you want them) - and if I’ve missed you it’s not because you weren’t helpful but because I’m still processing that this actually happened to me - I want to say thank you to anyone that was there, so please get in touch. If you have a relative or friend who came home on Tuesday and told you this story, please ask them to message me.
"I’d like to know your details so I can get in touch, from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU, I couldn’t have done it without every single one of you - honestly, that could have been very traumatic and I will look back on the day that my child arrived safely with all your help and never forget it. You are all magical people, a credit to Bishopston - thank you so much."
In a post on Facebook, staff at Northway Garage said: "There's never a dull moment here at Northway Garage. You may have already heard that there was some drama here yesterday [Tuesday]. A beautiful baby girl decided to put an unexpected appearance on the grass verge next to our forecourt.
"We would firstly like to thank all the local medical staff who assisted at the scene - you were all amazing! Secondly we would like to congratulate Mum and Dad on the birth of your wonderful new arrival. Lots of love and best wishes to you and your family from all of us here."
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