Couple deliver their Christmas Day baby by roadside

A young couple delivered their baby girl by the side of a snowy road on Christmas Day - after she arrived a full month earlier than expected.

Taylor and Hannah Lindeman had been opening presents with their two young daughters when the heavily pregnant mum's contractions came on strong on Monday.

The Minnesota couple drove to the hospital but after 20 minutes had to pull over when Hannah's water broke.

Taylor called the emergency services and received instructions over the phone.

Fortunately for Hannah, they weren't waiting long in the cold.

"It was pretty much two or three pushes and Poppy was out," Taylor later recounted at hospital.

The couple were soon joined at the roadside by a police officer who tied off Poppy's umbilical cord with a shoelace that he cut from Hannah's boot before an ambulance arrived.

With mother and daughter healthy, the couple honoured the day by giving their newborn the middle name Noel - which only tells part of the remarkable tale.

Hannah said, "I think every mum likes to share their birth story, but this one's pretty unique."