Shock after baby born in Uber taxi on dual carriageway just one minute away from Coventry hospital

A couple from Coventry have described their shock after their baby was born in an Uber taxi.

First-time parents Ella and Dan were making their way to the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) when baby Rowan punctually arrived on his due date on January 8.

Rowan was born in the early hours of Saturday morning, at 4.58am - just four hours after mother Ella, who is 32-years-old, thought that she might be going into labour.

She said: "People say it takes really long for your first baby - 24 hours."

Her partner Dan phoned the hospital around midnight when she first thought something was happening.

"I called the hospital twice and the first time we weren’t really sure what was happening," he said.

During the first phone call the hospital advised Ella to have a bath and drink some water.

An hour later, Dan contacted the hospital for a second time when "things seemed to be getting heavier".

He said: "They said come in and we will have a look but we may have to send you away. It didn’t feel like we were in that much of a rush so we called an Uber."

But what followed next was not the typical Uber ride that the pair were expecting.

Ella said the cab hadn't even managed to fully stop when baby Rowan decided to make his way into the world - just one minute before they got to the hospital.

Baby Rowan was born on a dual carriageway on the Ansty Road and her mum, Ella, admits she was fearful about the baby’s safety."I remember feeling his head and thinking something is wrong, we are not at the hospital yet," she said, before adding: "But there was not really time to panic, it was all so quick."I didn’t do any pushing at all - I was trying not to push. I didn’t want him to be born in an Uber."I caught him, he was pink and screaming.""Despite the panic in my mind I was thinking okay he was clearly fine as he was screaming."

While all this was happening Dan had been on the phone to West Midlands Ambulance Service and two ambulances arrived within minutes.

Meanwhile, in all the chaos Ella said she remembered apologising to Uber driver Imran.

"He stayed very calm and didn’t make me feel uncomfortable at all."

After paramedics confirmed all was well with baby Rowan they cut the umbilical cord. The only issue was he was cold and was subsequently put on a heat pad and under a lamp.

Ella ended up staying one night in UHCW, saying her recovery was "really quick".

The couple said that they will forever consider Uber driver Imran a “hero”.

One lesson for Ella from it all is that she said if they have any more children she will definitely want to opt for a home birth.

Reflecting on the drama she said: "I feel relieved but would have appreciated a bit of warning.

"I’ve read up on how to catch your own baby. We had this pregnancy book and there’s a section on sudden birth.

"It says it’s very uncommon but if it happens wrap your baby up.

"I hadn’t read that section. I thought it wouldn’t happen to me - it’s going to be a long and painful process."Mostly I just felt relieved it was all okay."