St George's student delivers baby on the Tube

Published: 23 October 2019

Second year Physician Associate student, Yasmina Chaudhury.

Second year Physician Associate student, Yasmina Chaudhury, safely delivered a baby girl while riding the tube when a passenger nearby went into labour. The surprise delivery happened at Baker Street station while Yasmina was on her way home from placement.

Yasmina explains, “I had just finished my last day of an Obstetrics and Gynaecology placement at Northwick Park hospital. I was on the Metropolitan line and it had stopped at Baker Street station without any announcements. I took my head phones off and could hear screaming, people were walking off the train and someone shouted ‘a lady is giving birth’.

“Initially when I heard someone was giving birth I didn’t believe it. TFL staff were walking through the carriage telling us all to get off the train. I started walking along the platform and saw three TFL staff guarding one of the carriage doors and a lady on the floor screaming. A lady approached them and said she was a first aider and I approached and said I’m a student with medical knowledge and experience so they let me in.

“When I walked towards the carriage where the lady was, I didn’t in a million years expect to be one of the first ones there and physically delivering the baby. I went in and saw the baby crowning, I didn’t have time to think, I just got stuck right in.

“I threw my belongings onto a seat, lifted up my sleeves, tucked my scarf into my jumper and approached the baby. I asked the mum to breath in through her nose out through her mouth and gently push. An older lady approached and said she was a doctor. The baby’s head came out and I asked the mum to stop so we can check if the cord is not wrapped around the neck, all was fine and I asked her to keep pushing gently”

“The baby’s shoulders came out and I held onto baby and slowly pulled baby out. It was a beautiful baby girl!

“I then gave the baby to the mum for skin to skin. The father was there and I asked him to give a piece of clothing so we could tie the cord. He handed a top to the doctor and I suggested to use the sleeve to tie it.

“The baby took just over five seconds to cry. Then paramedics and British transport police arrived and the baby’s father took a picture of the scene. They were Romanian and there was a lady translating for them. TFL staff took me to their tea room, where I washed my hands and arms as I didn’t have gloves on.

“I don’t know how I managed to stay calm, I guess the adrenaline kicked in and it all happened so quickly. I had shadowed a midwife once on the labour ward at Northwick Park hospital a few months back, I assisted her with the delivery but with very minimal input! So I improvised and tried to remember as much as I could from that previous encounter and from my lecture notes.

“Unfortunately, I did not take any details from the parents, the paramedics took over and I had a train to catch as I was going to Wales for the weekend for my birthday and a friend’s hen do. It was a surreal, once in a lifetime event, I’m still shocked that it happened.”