Five-year-old helps deliver his baby sister (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Five-year-old helps deliver his baby sister

8:30am Sunday 28th February 2010 in

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FIVE-YEAR-OLD Daniel George certainly kept a cool head when his mum started giving birth to his baby sister at home.

The little boy, who was watching over his mum, Emma, shouted downstairs to his dad, Dominic: “Daddy, the baby’s head is poking out!”

Dominic, who was feeding the family dog at the time, sprinted to take over from the toddler, who stayed by his mum’s side throughout the quick birth and cried tears of happiness when he saw his sister for the first time.

Quick-thinking Daniel was even there to let in Emma’s parents, Sue and Phil Vallence, and fill them in on the dramatic events: they had agreed to look after him while the couple went to hospital, but that arrangement was rather overtaken by events!

Emma, of East Drive, Bishopstoke, said: “It’s not often that a five-year-old can say they were there when their mum gave birth. He was very chilled out about it.

“I was so lucky he was there to let Dominic know the baby was coming because I was breathless and definitely couldn’t talk. It all happened so quickly.”

The 33-year-old started having mild contractions during the night, but it was not until the morning that they started getting stronger. That’s when they rang Sue and Phil, who live at Allbrook, to ask them to come over to take care of Daniel while they went to the maternity ward.

They thought they had plenty of time since, with Daniel, care worker, Emma, had been in labour for 24 hours. But when she got up to brush her teeth, she found that baby, already nine days overdue, wasn’t going to wait any longer.

The men of the house were forced to think on their feet and, just minutes after Dominic had taken over from little Daniel, Eloise May was born at 7.36am.

Dominic, 35, called 999 but, before the medics arrived, he had managed to complete the delivery himself, untwisting the umbilical cord away from her neck and making sure baby was safe.

The mobile DJ said: “When I heard Daniel, I ran upstairs in disbelief. I couldn’t believe the baby was coming. I never thought that Daniel and I would have to deliver the baby on our own.”

Emma and Eloise, who weighed in at 6lb, were taken to hospital in Winchester but they are now back at home.

“Eloise is very placid, very smiley and like a little dolly,” said Emma. “Daniel has been helping to feed her and hold her hand, but he won’t help with the nappies.

I’m sure he will have a lot to tell his sister when they are older.

“He certainly knows where babies come from now!