Midwife ensures sister’s baby born at home
Family affair for new arrival
Published:
BEING born at home was a piece of cake for little Harriett Chamberlain.
She was brought into the world by her midwife auntie Lauren Bastable, 24.
Also there to welcome her was her nana Susanna Bastable with a tray of home-made Chelsea buns.
And, as there was no hospital weighing machine to confirm her birth weight, the cake box and kitchen scales were drafted in to do the job.
The 9lb 5oz baby girl is a second daughter for Pitmedden pharmacy student Cherith, 21, and her bank teller husband Stephen, who was due to celebrate his 21st birthday today.
Her big sister Anise, 2, is delighted with the newborn addition – despite sleeping through the experience.
Cherith said today: “Giving birth is such an emotional thing. To have my sister deliver my baby and my mum there too was really special.”
The new mum, who gave birth in her living room while leaning on her coffee table, was back to normal in no time, thanks to Susanna, of Methlick, whocleaned up and produced refreshments for all.
“It seemed like one minute I was leaning on the table giving birth and the next I was holding coffee and Chelsea buns,” Cherith laughed.
Robert Gordon University student Cherith and Lauren, a midwife at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, planned the delivery the moment the pregnancy was confirmed.
Midwife Lauren, 24, of Ellon, took time off to be at the birth. But two independent midwives also had to be present. Cherith’s contractions started at 3am and baby Harriett was born at 5.45am on June 1.
Midwife Lauren, whose two-year-old son Lucas was in Methlick with her dad Guy, said: “It felt really special to deliver my own niece and it was the first home delivery I had ever done. Everything went according to plan.”
Everything but confirmation of the birth weight.
Lauren giggled: “We didn’t have scales, so mum and I popped Harriett into the empty Chelsea bun box and put her on the kitchen scales.”
