'I was just trying to hold on' - woman almost gave birth in hospital lift after it became stuck

She made it with ‘minutes to spare’

A new mum has thanked the ‘absolutely amazing’ midwives who kept her calm at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary as she tried desperately to avoid giving birth in a hospital lift.

Marnie Buckham, 21, said she arrived into the birthing room ‘less than two minutes’ before baby Evie was born on March 4.

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Midwives had tried to rush Ms Buckham up to the floor of the birthing room from the triage area below after realising she was dilated to 8cm and the baby’s hair was already showing.

Marnie Buckham with baby EvieMarnie Buckham with baby Evie
Marnie Buckham with baby Evie

But there was only one lift big enough to take a bed, and despite midwives calling it several times, it did not come.

When the lift eventually arrived after 10 minutes, Ms Buckham said she did all she could to prevent the baby being born inside it.

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“I genuinely thought she was coming out in the lift, and I was just trying to hold on,” she said.

Baby Evie BruceBaby Evie Bruce
Baby Evie Bruce

Ms Buckham said she remembers seeing panic on the faces of her midwifes – one midwife and one trainee – at the thought of her giving birth in the triage area.

“The midwife said she had never been so scared before, she told me I was really lucky we got to the birthing room in time,” she said.

“For ten minutes they were pressing the button and banging on the door – I could see them look at each other like ‘what are we going to do?’

“They said they would have to carry me up the stairs – I thought no way am I being carried up those stairs in the middle of labour!”

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Ms Buckham had no pain relief other than gas and air in the triage area, and there were a large number of other people around.

“It’s funny now to look back on it but at the time it was really not funny,” she said.

“Somebody must have been looking over me to make sure she wasn’t born in the lift.”

Ms Buckham herself was born in a car at the side of the road.

“I was born in the back of a car and Evie was nearly born in a lift! At least it’s a story to tell her,” she said.

Ms Buckham thanked the midwives for their care while the lift was stuck and during the birth.

“They were absolutely brilliant,” she said.

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