KEY POINTS:
Tim Church got more involved with the birth of his first child than he had expected after a traffic jam meant he delivered his son by the side of the road.
After being held up by half an hour on the way to Tauranga Hospital on Tuesday, Mr Church said he had no option but to pull over in Greerton and deliver the baby himself after his partner, Jodie White, said they would not make it in time.
The couple had left their Mt Maunganui home at 8.30am after Ms White went into labour.
They avoided Tauranga Harbour Bridge in the hope of escaping traffic problems but struck congestion in Turret Rd so Mr Church had to drive on to a grass verge.
"We got to the roundabout on Chadwick Rd and Fraser St and Jodie said, 'you'd better pull the car over'."
Mr Church called 111 and an operator talked him through the procedure and sent out an ambulance.
Mr Church, 30, said it was "textbook stuff" and the baby was already crowning by the time they pulled over.
"I knew the baby was in the right place and all she had to do was push," he said.
Ms White, 27, said at that point she was not at all fazed by the prospect of a roadside delivery. "I just wanted to do what I had to. He was coming out and I couldn't help but push," she said.
A passerby also pulled over to help, giving the couple assistance and they wanted to give her their thanks.
After delivery of their new son, Jackson, the ambulance arrived and drove Ms White and the baby to Tauranga Hospital to recuperate.
Baby and mother were both doing fine, despite Jackson being 3 weeks' premature.
Describing it as the "wickedest experience of my life", Mr Church said it was more involvement than he had bargained for.
"Last week, he [Mr Church] told the midwife that he wanted to be involved with the birth," Ms White said.
"Yeah, I wanted to catch the baby," he said.
- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES
