As anyone who has ever been pregnant can no doubt assure you, pregnancy is not an easy endeavor. And yet, in the end, months of aches, swelling, and sleepless nights give way to something truly spectacular. It's the miracle of life illustrated for us in a very personal way.
Like most things in life, giving birth doesn't always go according to plan. Babies can come early, or late, according to their own schedule – much to the chagrin of those carrying them. More often than not, they arrive with their mother in a hospital bed, but that's not always the case.
Pregnancy
22-year-old Sonia Banks and her partner Allan Stanley were happy. Sonia was pregnant and the couple was looking forward to welcoming another child into their little family. Despite having another child from her previous relationship, this baby would be the first the two would share together.
Water Break
The couple had been sitting at home when Sonia felt the familiar sensation a little after noon. Looking down, she saw that her water had broken, which meant that the baby was coming. The couple grabbed their overnight bag, phoned Allan's mom, and headed over to the local hospital by train.
Go Home
After waiting in the emergency room for a while, Sonia was given a few tests to see how far along she was. A cursory examination revealed that the sensation she had felt was not a signal of impending birth. According to the medical staff, the baby was not quite ready to come into the world, and wouldn't' be for a good long while.
Sudden Sensation
The couple was sent home and boarded the train at Borough Kent. Allan's mother, Mari-Anne, did her best to calm Sonia as they rode. She was certain that the feeling she had experienced was a portent of the baby's arrival. Sure enough, after only a few minutes into the ride home, Sonia's contractions started.
Labor Pains
Sonia began to moan in discomfort. She bent over and gripped at her distended abdomen. Speaking as calmly as she could, she informed Allan and Mari-Anne that the doctors had been wrong. She had felt these pains before, with her first child. They pulled into Mailing Station and Mari-Anne got out and ran along the platform to tell the driver what was about to occur.
Complications
Meanwhile, Allan held Sonia's hand and tried to keep her comfortable and relaxed. Sonia was petrified at the prospect of giving birth on the train in front of all those people. Her first labor experience had gone badly and at the end, she'd needed a blood transfusion in order to save her life. The other commuters looked on in shock, unsure what to do.
Old Hat
In one part of her mind, Sonia thought of all it was unbelievable. She and Allan had been through this several times on their own. She had a four-year-old son from a previous relationship and he had a 23-month-old daughter. These circumstances were quite different though, and the commuter train at rush hour was hardly the place for such a personal event.
The Perfect Combo
That said, you never know who you'll meet on a train. As it happened, some of the passengers on that train were actually quite well-equipped to help out. A midwife, a nurse, and a police officer, all of them off-duty, happened to be on the train that day. Once they'd heard what was happening, all three were all-too-happy to step in to help.
Overwhelmed
Helpful as the three good Samaritans would be that day, Sonia had been right to be concerned about complications. The midwife asked her to stand up and lean over the back of a seat, but the pain was so intense that she dropped to the floor at one point. Allan helped her back up and was soon joined by Mari-Anne, who had come back in to help.
In a Flash
"Sonia was screaming so loud. Mum was holding her hand and I was stroking her back telling her everything was going to be OK." Allan explained while speaking to the Sunday Express. Time wore on and the couple did their best to remember their Lamaze as they stood there on the drafty train. Luckily for all of them, they didn't have to wait long for the baby to arrive.
Happened So Quickly
Within a mere fifteen minutes, Sonia had given birth to a perfectly healthy baby girl. "I can't really remember the birth," Sonia explained. "I remember I was leaning over a seat and it all just happened so quickly." Next thing they knew, Little Phoebe had arrived, 6 lbs and crying uncontrollably as she came into the world.
Move Along
Allan, who is currently an unemployed chef, recalled the momentous occasion fondly. "We were in a carriage full of commuters but they asked everyone to move to a different carriage to give us privacy … inside I was petrified." He added that the midwife and nurse who showed up to help really made things much easier for them all.
Huge Delay
As far as Sonia was concerned, "a mere fifteen minutes" was not the flash it appears to the rest of us. Nor was it the "five-minute holdover" that many of the train commuters thought it to be. The baby's impromptu birth resulted in delays for thousands of commuters that day, though most of them were in good spirits having learned why the train was held.
So Happy
Little Phoebe came into the world and Mari-Anne ran out onto the train platform to tell the world that "it's a girl!" Everyone cheered and clapped. Once they knew why the train had been delayed, they were happy to come over and offer sincere congratulations to the happy couple and grandmother.
Never Seen The Like
Train conductor Colin Brooker was working in the train that day, doing his best to keep passengers calm and informed about the delay. Thankfully, people were pretty calm about the whole ordeal while it was happening. He'd been with the railway for over 41 years and this was the first time he'd ever experienced anything of the sort.
Checking Up
When everything had calmed down, Sonia and Phoebe were taken to another nearby Tunbridge Wells Hospital. After her previous birth experience, her doctors wanted to monitor them and check that everything was OK before they sent them home. The medical staff at the hospital was amazed at how well the other passengers had taken care of things.
Single Ambulance
A South East Coast Ambulance Service spokesman talked about the whole situation, applauding the midwife for being so helpful at the scene. "We sent a single ambulance to the scene. There was already a midwife with the patient so she was able to help the lady," she explained.
Beautiful and Perfect
"When I saw Phoebe for the first time I fell in love with her straight away," says Sonia, who is now happily at home with the latest member of her family. "She's perfect, so beautiful. She is perfect in every way." Miraculous as this tale is, it is not the first time such an unusual birth has happened in England.
Special Deliveries
Other strange birth occurrences involve one Wisbech woman gave birth to a special delivery of her own when she delivered her 5-pound baby girl at the post office. Then there was the other woman who gave birth inside a pharmacy cubicle with the help of two off-duty nurses and a very brave security guard in 2009.
Past The Limit
Little Ignatius Duly ignored the speed limit in May 2010 and was born on the M4 in Berkshire just as his parents were racing to the hospital. Finally, there was the Scottish woman who had to take a lifeboat to get her from the Isle of Mull to the mainland hospital and wound up having the baby on the boat. Miracles and strange coincidences all.