A Cape Town croissant baker had to switch off the stove and put on her midwife cap when she had to help a mother in distress deliver her baby inside her car on Friday morning.
According to the 23-year-old baker, Sam van Staden, it was around 07:30 while she was baking, when her manager called the staff to assist a couple that had an emergency outside their bakery in Kalk Bay.
“When I went outside, I realised that the woman in the car was ready to have a baby,” Van Staden said.
She said that her first instinct was to advise them to rush to the hospital, however when she saw the baby’s head peeking out, she had to act quickly.
“I asked the lady’s husband to assist with taking off her clothes,” she said.
“Surprisingly I was very calm during the ordeal,” she explained.
The Ohana Cafe baker said that her focus was making sure that the mother and the baby were safe.
“I’ve never had to do this before, but with my experience as a mother of a two-year-old, I knew that once the baby starts crowning, it shouldn’t stay in the birth canal for too long,” she said.
After a few pushes from the mother-to-be, Van Staden helped to deliver a healthy baby boy.
“The mother couldn’t stop shouting, it’s a boy, it’s a boy,” she said giggling.
According to the multi-talented baker, the baby looked healthy and emergency services arrived 15 minutes after the baby was born and transported both mother and baby to hospital.
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