Mother Chantelle Edmund, 26, gave birth suddenly at home—on the “Welcome” mat, no less—which surprised Chantelle’s other daughter, Keira Jade, and niece, Ellie-Mai. When Keira, an 8-year-old, contacted for assistance, she told the call handler, “My mum has just had an alien on the floor!” Ellie-Mai, nine, was the only one who replied, “It’s not an alien, it’s a frog!”
After recovering from their shock and realizing the true nature of the guest, the girls rallied together to bring Chantelle water and towels. Chantelle’s mother, Susan, 44, and sister, Serrina, 24, arrived shortly after, closely followed by paramedics. Serrina removed Chantelle and Eva Rai’s umbilical cord before the ambulance transported them to Calderdale Royal Hospital for inspection.
Chantelle spoke up: “I was going to have a planned water birth at HRI with my mum as my birth partner – but it didn’t happen like that.” Chantelle resides in Lindley, almost directly across from Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. Eva Rai arrived more than two weeks ahead of schedule; her birthday isn’t until March 10. “Keira and Ellie-May were both in bed when the contractions started at 10pm,” Chantelle told me.
“I called my mother, who lives in Cleckheaton, and told my daughter to come downstairs. My waters broke, and the baby was born at 10.35 p.m. on the ‘welcome’ mat at the foot of the steps. “Everything happened so quickly.” Keira was shocked. She is simply appalled by the way babies are delivered. Until a few weeks ago, she believed babies were born through a magical door in my tummy! She has fallen in love with the baby. “She adores her younger sister, and Keira is the talk of the school.”
Even though Chantelle, a home care worker who was not supposed to start maternity leave until this month, reported that Eva Rai had grown to her birth weight, she still weighed 4 pounds, 12 ounces at birth. “She is up to her birth weight now. She is great. She hasn’t cried for anything but her food.” According to Chantelle, Reinwood Junior School staff asked Keira if she wanted to be a midwife when she grew up. “But she said, no, it’s too disgusting!” According to Chantelle, Keira urged her to attend the hospital birth, but she declined. But in the end, she got her wish!