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While Paramedics Mike and Andre quickly made their way from Greytown to Featherston, Emergency Medical Call Taker Emma got set to talk Luke through how to deliver a baby over the phone. 

Due to how far along Hayley was, baby Freya was only minutes away.

“The instructions were brilliant. It was reassuring to have someone on the phone with us while the paramedics were on the way,” Luke explains. 

“Luke was calm so I was calm, I knew he was being looked after on the phone,” Hayley adds.

After a couple of full on contractions, they welcomed Freya into the world. However, Luke noticed that the umbilical cord was wrapped around her. He relayed this to Emma who immediately explained step-by-step instructions on how to safely remove it.

Our call takers are a critical part of the team who gather all the information from the scene for the paramedics, and give instructions over the phone to care for the patient.

Using an internationally-recognised medical priority dispatch system, the first thing they do is work out exactly where you are and what is happening. Then, they will calmly and clearly talk you through the steps to take to provide care for the patient until paramedics arrive.

They’re trained to assist with every medical situation, providing life-saving instructions and essential care to protect the patient and those with them.

Paramedic Mike says Luke and Hayley, with help of Emma in the Clinical Communications Centre, had it all in hand.

The help of Wellington Free Ambulance on this day is greatly appreciated by Luke, Hayley and their family.

“Hayley and I would really like to thank Emma, Andre and Mike for everything they did for us on the night. It is certainly something that we will never forget and be forever grateful for. 

“We would also like to thank the wider Wellington Free Ambulance community for what they do for the Wellington and Wairarapa regions. We sure are very lucky,” Luke says.

Four months on, the family wouldn’t change a thing.

“I’ve been in the delivery room for our other two, but being able to play such a significant part in Freya’s birth was a cool experience – one I never thought I’d have; it was special.

“And the kids slept through the whole thing. They were beside themselves when we woke them up and introduced them to their new baby sister,” Luke says.

“To stay at home was great, and thanks to the call taker and paramedics we didn’t have any complications,” Hayley says.