- Son Joby only person on hand, but he proved a cool head under pressure
- Comforted his mother then stepped in when his brother wasn't breathing
- Kelly: 'He was absolutely fantastic and I completely underestimated him'
|
When Kelly Graves went into sudden labour at home, she must have been just a little concerned that the only person to hand was her five-year-old son, Joby.
But the youngster proved a more-than-able replacement for a midwife when he not only helped to deliver his newborn brother, but saved his life as well.
After comforting his mother through the birth, calling for help and bringing towels to swaddle the baby, he jumped into action when Harley Jae wasn't breathing and untangled the umbilical cord from around his neck as his mother revived him.
'My little superhero': Kelly Graves with her five-year-old son Joby, who helped to deliver his baby brother Harley Jae (centre) when she went into sudden labour at their home in Mansfield
Mrs Graves has dubbed her eldest son her 'little superhero' for his bravery and quick-thinking under pressure.
The 28-year-old, from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, said: 'I really believe Joby helped to save Harley's life. If he hadn’t unlooped the cord from around his neck, I would have had to try to do it myself on my own and we would have lost valuable time.
'Harley was choking and Joby knew just what to do. I'm so proud of him, he was so calm and collected. He was absolutely fantastic and I completely underestimated him.'
Kelly described how all through her pregnancy, Joby had been excited to meet his new brother or sister so it was no surprise that he was so helpful when the time came for him to deliver his new sibling.
Leapt into action: As well as comforting his mother during the birth, Joby helped save his newborn brother's life by untangling the umbilical cord around his neck
She said: 'He came with me to buy all the baby clothes and all the equipment and he came with me to all the scans. He was so excited to find out he was getting a little brother and he picked the name Harley himself.
'He was my little helper around the house and whenever I got stressed he would say, "Calm down, mummy. Think of the baby.'
After a normal pregnancy, Kelly felt her first contractions on Tuesday, May 8, following a party with one of Joby’s friends at a local children's centre.
On returning to Kelly's stepfather David Gledhill's house, she felt her first contraction and they steadily continued every 10 minutes.
Telling her mum, Sue, 48, that the labour had started, David took Kelly home to change while her mother gathered her things from her own house nearby.
The plan was for David, 61, to pick everyone up and drive to the hospital before returning home with Joby to await news of the birth.
Loves him to bits: Joby has an even stronger bond with his baby brother and is always showing him off
At this point, said Kelly, no one was worried as the hospital had told them they had plenty of time.
Kelly said: 'As I was speaking to the nurse over the phone, my contractions jumped from every 10 minutes to every six minutes, but she said not to worry and to ring her back in an hour.
'I'd had quite a straightforward labour with Joby so we were all expecting this one to be much the same. Nevertheless I still wanted to head into the hospital as soon as possible.
'Joby had a bath and so did I, but as my stepdad was getting him into his pyjamas I felt my waters break on the stairs. I told him to hurry and get my mum, who only lives down the road, and to come back as fast as he could.'
Feeling like she needed the loo, Kelly went to the bathroom. But when she saw bleeding she panicked and called for Joby.
In a flash, the little boy had run to get her phone and as Kelly dialled Joby waited for his grandmother to pick up.
But then all of a sudden, Kelly was holding her newborn son in her hands.
Helping him into this world: Kelly Graves said Joby had been excited to meet his new brother or sister all throughout her pregnancy
Kelly said: 'Joby was comforting me the whole way through and got towels to wrap the baby in.
'I could hear mum over the phone saying, "Yes, we know, mummy’s having a baby" and I remember Joby replying, "No, the baby’s here! The baby's here!"'
Unfortunately Harley was not breathing and Kelly, using sheer instinct, sucked his mouth and nose to clear it.
The baby started to breathe, but then began to choke as the cord had become looped around his neck.
'I said, "Oh no, Joby, the cord!" From where I was sitting on the bathroom floor, hunched against the sink, I wouldn't have been able to do it myself with just one hand free'
Kelly said: 'I said, "Oh no, Joby, the cord!" and he asked me first if he was allowed to touch it and then quickly untangled it from around his head.
'From where I was sitting on the bathroom floor, hunched against the sink, I wouldn’t have been able to do it myself with just one hand free. I really believe he helped to save his life.'
At that moment Kelly’s parents arrived and soon after the paramedics followed.
After a little wait, the midwife also arrived, allowing Sue to cut the cord.
Kelly said: 'Although Joby took her place as my birthing partner, she was glad that she still got to do that while Joby went and had a look at the ambulance with the paramedics.
'Joby absolutely adores his little brother and when I take Harley out he stands there proudly, showing him off. They would always have had a bond as brothers but I think it’s been made stronger by the face Joby helped him into the world.
'To think that at the age of just five he was able to help his mum have a baby and then jump in and help save him like that is amazing.
'I’ve always been so careful to drum into what to do if there’s a fire, what do to in an emergency, when to call 999 but he remembered everything.
'I think Joby might have a future ahead of him as a midwife, but when I asked him he said no, he wants to be a policeman.'
No comments:
Post a Comment
Cakaplah apa saja yang benar asalkan tidak menghina sesiapa