St John NT: Darwin couple delivery baby in the bathroom

A Darwin couple welcomed their baby girl into the world in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in an unideal part of their house.

THE arrival of her baby girl in the early hours of Valentines Day is something Johnston mother Kaylah Jeffriess-Tapper won’t forget anytime soon.

When her contractions started a few hours earlier, she didn’t think too much of it and slowly started to get ready to go to hospital.

But she didn’t make it that far.

“I thought I’d go to the toilet thinking I just needed to wee,” she said.

“Next minute I could feel her head right there — two or three pushes later and her head was out.”

Peter Spanner and Kaylah Jeffries-Tapper and their beautiful newborn Payge after a surprise sudden birth at home and had to be talked through it by paramedics. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Still sitting on the toilet, Ms Jeffriess-Tapper’s partner Peter called the ambulance and was coached through the rest of the birth by St John’s operators.

“I had to stand up for Peter to catch the rest of her, then I was in the walk-in robe until the ambulance arrived,” Ms Jeffriess-Tapper said.

All up the birth took just 10 minutes and after the ambulance came they were discharged from the hospital three hours later.

Baby Payge. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Ms Jeffriess-Tapper said this birth experience was a lot different to that of her son’s, but the dunny delivery wasn’t too bad.

“With my son I was in active labour for two days,” she said.

“The St John’s operator was so calm and supportive and talked us through everything we needed to do.

When asked if she’d recommend a home birth, Ms Jeffriess-Tapper had one caveat.

“I think it would be good if you had it planned, and not unexpectedly on the toilet,” she said.