Midwife shopping at Aldi helps woman deliver baby off A590

Jane Martin was on the school run when she went into labour – but was miles away from Furness General Hospital in Barrow where she was due to give birth to her third child.

The 33-year-old’s husband Aidan began driving them down the A590 but by the time they reached Lindale Jane knew she was not going to make it to FGH.

They called the midwives who said based on her contractions she was about to give birth.

“The midwife was asking where we have got to so I'm shouting in between contractions: 'Grange roundabout',” said Jane.

"When my waters broke we were going through Ulverston - that was panic stations. Her head pushed my waters out - I knew we didn't have very long." 

Jane with her family (Image: Jane Martin)

The couple were told to make their way to the Blue Light Hub in Ulverston but there was nobody there when they arrived. 

The midwives in Barrow began giving instructions on how to deliver the baby over the phone. By coincidence, a midwife called Sarah had nipped into the nearby ALDI to get yoghurt. She saw the couple at the hub and rushed over to help. 

Sarah successfully delivered Audra, who weighed in at nine pounds two ounces. Other than needing to be warmed up due to it being a cold day, Audra was healthy. 

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"Audra was fine, we were never separated," Jane said. "She got warmed up with me.

"I think it was more stressful for Aidan to get me there. I was going through the motions. I'm thinking about myself - he is having to think about the road, making sure I'm ok." 

Jane, a postwoman who works in Coniston but lives in Kendal, wanted to give birth at Helme Chase, the maternity ward at Westmorland General. However she found out the ward was going to close because of planned maintenance work in the theatres on Friday, March 8. 

The due date was just before the ward was going to close but her baby was late. She was given the option to have the birth in Lancaster or Barrow. She chose Barrow because she had her previous children there, her husband, who is from outside the area, only knew the way to Furness General and she decided it would be better to give birth on the A590 than the M6. Jane also did not want a home birth.

In the end, as she was only in labour for an hour and a half, she would not have made it to either hospital, she said.

The next day, when Jane and Audra were in the hospital, Sarah took on being their midwife because 'she had already been there.' 

"I think it had made her day," Jane said about Sarah. "She was buzzing afterwards.”