Last updated 20:17, Thursday, 16 October 2008

A SEATON man had to help deliver his baby girl at home after his wife was sent home from Whitehaven’s West Cumberland Hospital.

DADDY'S GIRL: Proud parents Neil and Cassie Palmer with Tulip Mia

Neil and Cassie Palmer, both 29, of Causeway Road, went to the hospital after Cassie’s waters broke during the evening.

Nurses put her on a monitor but as there were no contractions the couple were sent home and told to phone in the morning.

They went straight to bed at 11.30pm but Cassie woke up an hour later with pains, which eventually subsided.

However, she explained: “I woke up not long after with the same pain so we rang the hospital, who advised me to get a hot bath and take some headache tablets.

“I got Neil out of bed and he helped me. We kept ringing the hospital but they insisted I’d be okay.

“At 6.30am the pains were getting worse so I asked Neil to help me onto the bed.”

Cassie realised she had gone into labour, so Neil checked to see how far along his wife was – and got a big shock.

He said: “Cassie had asked me to have a look to see how far gone she was. I looked and got the shock of my life. I could see the top of my baby’s head.

“I didn’t want to worry Cassie so I just told her ‘I think we should go to the hospital’.

“She asked me what was wrong so I told her.”

The first-time parents phoned the hospital for guidance and were told to surround Cassie with towels and that paramedics were on the way.

“I just went into autopilot,” said Neil, who runs his own business, Neil Palmer Roofing Services.

“Cassie started pushing and the whole of the top of our baby’s head was coming out.”

Paramedics arrived and took over the delivery of a healthy 7lb 6oz baby girl, who the couple have named Tulip Mia.

Cassie said: “The whole thing was over in half an hour. Looking back it is worrying because anything could have gone wrong.”

Neil added: “I didn’t know what I was doing. I just did the best I could, which is what anyone would have done. I was so relieved when the paramedics turned up.”

Cassie said: “We were planning to have a water birth but everything worked out well in the end. I didn’t have to go into hospital and we have a healthy and beautiful baby girl.”