Dad delivers baby in backseat of car on roadside

Baby Tamzin born on evening of 10 January in Greeba

Report by BBC Isle of Man: 

A dad who had to deliver his partner's baby in the back of their Ford Fiesta said he had "never felt so much relief" than when little Tamzin started to cry.

Ian Moore and Claire Furner were cleaning their house in Kirk Michael when her waters suddenly broke at 9pm on 10 January - 17 days before her due date.

The couple intended to make their own way to Noble's Hospital but, as her contractions became stronger, Ian's aunt Sue Moore told them she would drive the 13 miles along the Isle of Man's icy roads.

Baby Tamzin was keen to make a very quick entrance though and she was safely delivered by her dad at about 10.05pm after Sue pulled over into a lay-by near Greeba Bridge.

The family were on the phone to the emergency services throughout the drama and talked through what they needed to do until medical assistance arrived.

Ian said: "Everyone else was losing their head but I tried to stay calm as there was nothing we could do but it was terrifying."

Outside temperatures were about 2C at the time and the family closed the car doors and put the heating on while they waited for an ambulance which arrived 20 minutes later.

"Looking back now," Claire said: "It fills me with smiles and excitement and being proud of ourselves for getting through something like that on our own, pretty much."

Describing the feeling when she knew her baby had breached she said: "I thought this could go horribly wrong and there is nothing I can do."

Tamzin, who was born weighing about 7lb (3kg), has been given a middle name of Greeba as a nod to her birthplace.

Dad Ian joked that Tamzin's birth record was slightly off the mark because she "wasn't born in transit... it was a Fiesta!"