A mum and dad who safely delivered their baby at home thanks to detailed instructions they received over the phone, have been reunited with the Scottish Ambulance Service call handler who helped them.
Andrew, 39, and Hannah Johnston, 38, finally met Emergency Call Handler Allan MacInnes last week when they visited the Service’s 999 call centre at Cardonald, Glasgow – two years after Allan helped the couple deliver their son Charlie.
When Hannah’s labour rapidly advanced in July 2016, they knew there wasn’t time to get to hospital and Andrew immediately rang for an ambulance – but as crews raced to the scene, baby Charlie decided to make an early appearance.
Hannah said: “It all happened so quickly – we were in bed early that morning and I had a feeling something was about to happen. I told Andrew and he said ‘OK’, then closed his eyes as if to go back to sleep. As I stifled a contraction he opened them again, and said ‘oh, you mean right now?’ and sprang into action.
“He called 999 and got through to Allan who dispatched an ambulance crew and then thankfully started talking Andrew through what he had to do.”
Andrew said that despite having an older daughter – Eilidh, now four – the instructions Allan gave throughout the birth were invaluable.
“It was a nerve-racking time as I’d been at the head end for Eilidh’s birth! Fortunately we’d already taken her to be looked after by a friend so we could concentrate on the job in hand. We were completely on our own – we knew the ambulance crew was on its way, but Charlie wasn’t going to wait for them to arrive.
“It was a bit of a blur, but I remember it was good to have Allan’s calm voice talking to me throughout. It kept me calm and it was useful having that knowledge at the end of the phone to reassure me that everything would be OK.
“The audio recording of the call is amazing. Charlie arrived within minutes and I delivered him safely thanks to Allan’s instructions – the ambulance crew arrived about a minute after Charlie and on the recording you can hear Hannah shouting ‘we’re upstairs’ to them.”
The couple and their two children visited the Scottish Ambulance Service’s 999 call centre last week to shake hands with Allan MacInnes.
“It was fantastic to finally meet Allan – he helped us in our moment of need and we’re very grateful,” said Andrew.
Allan MacInnes, who has worked as an Emergency Call Handler for three years, said it was a delight meeting the couple and baby Charlie.
“We deliver quite a few babies over the phone as our crews race to the scene, so keeping a cool head is an essential skill. We’re fully trained to help people in that situation and for us it’s just part of what makes the job so special,” he said.
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