Aaliyah Louise, born October 4 weighing six pounds and eight ounces
A Caterham mother who was forced to have her baby in the back of a taxi has praised the "amazing" taxi controller who acted as her emergency midwife.
Rhianne Morris, 23, gave birth to her baby girl Aaliyah outside the Taxi office, in Brighton Road, Coulsdon, this morning.
Ms Morris has praised the actions of Louise Hammond, who was at the office and forced to step in and act as an emergency midwife when it became clear that mother and baby were not going to make it to the hospital in time.
Ms Morris said: "I was on my way into work went I started having contractions so I phoned a cab.
"I was in the taxi for about ten minutes when the driver, I think he was panicking a bit, said they weren't going to make it to the hospital and he was taking me to head office and calling an ambulance.
"We arrived at the office and then I basically had my baby in the back of the cab outside.
"I didn't really know we weren't going to get to hospital until about 30 seconds before she arrived, up until that point I still assumed we were going to make it.
"When I realised I was going to be having her in the back of a cab my first thought was for her health and if she was going to be all right but she is absolutely fine and that was a relief."
Both Ms Morris and Aaliyah, who weighs six pounds and nine ounces, are healthy after the unusual birth and Ms Morris was quick to pay tribute to Ms Hammond for the way she stepped in to help her.
She said: "The manager, Louise, was amazing. She was really supportive and told me when she could see the head and was very encouraging
"I just want to thank her, really. I don't think I could have done it without her.
"She told me she would help me out with free taxis in the future. I don't know how long that will last for but she was really amazing."
Baby Aaliyah has been given the middle name Louise in recognition of the help that Ms Hammond was able to provide and she told the Advertiser that in that situation instinct simply took over.
Ms Hammond said: "We got the call in for a woman in the early stages of labour who needed to go to hospital but that type of thing happens quite a lot.
"I sent a driver out and about ten minutes later got a panicked call from him saying that her waters had broken in the back of the cab and that the traffic in Coulsdon was really bad so he was coming back to the office.
"When she got here I was just trying to talk to her and keep her calm, asking her about contractions, that type of thing.
"We were told that the ambulance would be 45 minutes but by that time her contractions were really close together and I could tell that the baby was going to arrive much sooner than that.
"Then she started to push and I could see the baby's head, at that point it was just a case of getting the dressing gown out of her night bag and doing the best I could.
"My main concern was for the mum. She was in so much pain but she was so brave.
"After the birth the paramedics arrived and they were able to take it from there."
Ms Hammond said the whole experience had been somewhat overwhelming but she had been incredibly touched by Ms Morris's thanks.
She said: "It was just an amazing experience and one that I will never ever forget.
"I have been emotional all day and then the mum just sent me a picture and told me the name and that she had given her the middle name Louise. That set me off crying all over again."
Editorial Comment:
Can you imagine the situation, had this been in an Uber car. The baby would have been born somewhere around the M25, delivered by the mother herself. Fare would have been surged with a soiling fee of £140.
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