Kathey and Jamie Lang and their two-week-old Emma, who was born in the work ute in the car park of Kowhai Dental. Photo / Tania Whyte
Kathey and Jamie Lang and their two-week-old Emma, who was born in the work ute in the car park of Kowhai Dental. Photo / Tania Whyte
Whangārei man Jamie Lang had been procrastinating over visiting the dentist for years.
But it was his daughter's sudden entrance into the world in the carpark of Kowhai Dental that prompted him to finally make an appointment.
Wife Kathey Lang, 29, was 10 days past her January 6 due date when she woke at 3.30am with a strong back ache on January 16.
"I just thought I'll have a shower and stick it out at home for as long as I can. My first labour with my son was about five hours so I knew it could be quite quick," said the mother to 18-month-old Thomas.
By 6.30am, with strong contractions, they decided it was time to go to Whangārei Hospital.
The delivery suite was just a five-minute drive from their Morningside home but baby Emma Mary had her own birthing plan. The urge to push took over for Kathey and, as they approached the Maunu Rd lights, she realised her baby was on her way.
Jamie, 30, was driving his wife in his work ute and said he couldn't believe what was happening.
"She just yelled at me to pull over as she was going to have the baby. The closest carpark was Kowhai Dental. As I pulled in, she literally caught the baby and pulled her up on to her chest. Emma was crying, thank goodness, so we knew she was okay.
"I can't believe my wife delivered our own baby in the front seat of my work ute. She's incredible," said the technical sales rep for Fonterra Farm Source. He added that, both from farming backgrounds, the birth was similar to calving, albeit smaller.
Kathey and Jamie Lang and their two-week-old Emma, who was born in the work ute in the car park of Kowhai Dental. Photo / Tania Whyte
After staring at each other in disbelief for several minutes, they rang an ambulance. Then realising they could actually see the hospital, decided to make the short drive to the maternity ward for Kathey to deliver her placenta and get Emma checked over, weighing in at 2.7kg.
"Our midwife met us at the door with a wheelchair and everyone was clapping us," recalls Kathey. "It was an incredible experience, definitely one for the 21st!"
Following a night at Whangārei's maternity unit, the trio headed home where big brother Thomas, who had been staying at Oakura, met his sister.
"He had been at granny's at the beach for two weeks and, funnily enough, we had been out there the Friday night and were going to stay the night. Oakura Bay is a good 40-minute drive away so we would have a 'Helena' baby," she laughed, in reference to nearby Helena Bay.
As it happened, there had been several suggestions they name their daughter "Emma Kowhai Lang", but the couple had already settled on a name pre-birth.
Doting parents Kathey and Jamie Lang with baby Emma.
The following Monday, the Langs took their two-day-old to Kowhai Dental Centre to ask to see the CCTV footage of their "rollercoaster" experience. While there, they informed the oblivious, then subsequent amused, staff of what had occurred in their carpark and Jamie decided to take advantage of being on site at a dental clinic and finally make a booking.
"He wasn't even registered at a dentist," said Kathey. "He had a tooth that had come loose and had been procrastinating going to a dentist."
She added that the state of the work ute "wasn't too bad" pre-birth. However, it had needed a good valet after and Jamie had been stoked with the effort from Red Rose Car Valet.
While Thomas was still enjoying an extended holiday at the beach, Emma had settled in well with Kathey describing her as a "dream baby".
