A Burnham-On-Sea RNLI crewman has shown he has a steady pair of hands by delivering his baby on a bathroom floor!
Matt Edwards remained calm and in control when he unexpectedly had to deliver his daughter this month – taking on the role of a midwife.
Matt’s partner Abbey began experiencing pains four days before their baby was due and, as a first time father, Matt sought advice and was advised to call for an ambulance.
His new daughter, however, had other ideas and Matt found himself delivering her at home on a bathroom floor – all within ten minutes.
“It was a bit of a shock, but you just get on and do what you can really and it was all over pretty quickly,” he said, adding that his daughter named Lottie is doing well.
As an RNLI crewmember, Matt is trained to cope with high-pressure situations – although midwifery skills are not part of the training!
Everyone at station is pleased that things went smoothly and are not surprised that Matt coped so well.
In fact, this week he has been given the Lifeboat Operations Manager’s Award. The person who is given this award is chosen for their outstanding work over the past year.
Lifeboat Operations Manager Matt Davies said: “I chose Matthew for this award as he is an excellent hard working member of the lifeboat crew at Burnham. He has made huge strides in the three years since he joined us having no seagoing experience at all and has recently passed out as a fully competent crew member having completed all his probationary training units. He has also agreed to move on to become a probationary helmsman showing his future commitment to the RNLI.”
Pictured: Matt Edwards with his new-born baby (pics Mike Lang)
