Most of us are destined to enter the world in the same manner in which we leave it, accommodated in a reasonably equipped medical centre, surrounded by white coated doctors and tended to by hard working nurses.
A brave few, however, are destined to buck this trend; these tiny non-conformists come into being in the oddest of places. Here, for your enjoyment and amazement, we present 11 of the strangest locations where women have been transformed into mothers and the reassuring cry of the newly birthed has echoed.
1. Auto Rickshaw
Info: http://archives.dawn.com/archives/38021
Pakistan – although it may not be the richest or most developed country in the world it’s expectant mothers can still expect a decent level of care. Pakistan’s health care system is ranked 122nd out of the 190 nations that the World Health Organisation monitors; its people don’t expect medicinal miracles but nor do they expect to give birth in the streets.
This might explain why when a woman gave birth inside a ‘tiny’ rickshaw in the western city of Quetta, the Pakistani president (Asif Ali Zardari) personally granted the woman 500,000 Rupees (around 6000 US$) of compensation. Then again it might have something to with the fact that President Zardari was visiting Quetta at the time and it was his security inspired road closures, and his security forces refusal to allow the heavily pregnant woman through the road block, that resulted in this miracle of creation occurring on the back of an open rickshaw in heavy traffic.
2. The Library
Info: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/18578387/detail.html
The library, temples of knowledge that have witnessed the birth of countless world shaking ideas also seem also to have seen births of a less conceptual kind.
In what may be one of her shorter visits to the library 18 year old Dominique Trevino gave birth to a girl thirteen minutes after passing through the doors of the Denver Public Library. Miss Trevino’s had been taking the bus to the hospital when she realised that Sariah, her second child, wanted to be born. Both mother and daughter have been given special lifetime library cards.
It seems that the Library might embody a certain energy that assists the birthing process. Miss Trevion’s thirteen minutes of labour seem like a herculean task when compared to the efforts of Californian Jennifer Wagner whose delivery, which occurred in a bathroom stall of Huntington Beach library, lasted a mere five minutes.
3. Sri Lankan Air Force Helicopter
Info: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/134985/baby-born-helicopter-sri-lanka.html
Helicopters represent what may be the final word in humankind attempts to conquer the land sea and sky. Without question the last real game changer in the realm of transportation (I’m still waiting for my jetpack), they have all the attributes of a plane with few of the disadvantages. It is unsurprising then that these mechanical marvels are pressed into that service as that most modern of life savers: the air ambulance.
A young woman from Sri Lanka gave birth in a Sri Lankan Air force Bell 212 helicopter in February this year. She was one of four mothers rescued from rising flood waters in Anuradhapura district (video here) although it appears she was the only one of the four to actually give birth during the flight.
4. Guernsey Marine Ambulance
Info: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/guernsey/7588564.stm
The Island of Guernsey is one of the stranger places under the rule of British Queen Elizabeth II. Not technically part of the United Kingdom, it is classified as an overseas dependency, similar to the Isle of Man. Guernsey was also the only piece of British soil to be occupied by the Germans in WWII and hosted it’s own, small, concentration camp. Its post and telephone boxes are painted blue rather than the traditional British red.
Gemma Knight hails from the nearby tiny island of Sark, possibly the last feudal state in Europe. She went into labour two weeks ahead of schedule, thus the Flying Christine III, the sole vessel of the Guernsey Marine Ambulance Service, was summoned to transport her to Princess Elizabeth Hospital.
The delivery occurred in the early hours of the morning on board the boat; the baby weighing a healthy 6lbs 9oz. We do wonder if they were transported to the ship by one of Sark’s tractor drawn ambulances.
5. New York Subway Station
The New York Subway System is by far one of the busiest and most complex rail systems in the world with around 4.8 million passenger trips made per day. It is a testament to the human desire to build and to organise, born over the years from the minds of hundreds of architects, engineers and surveyors and the muscles of thousands of construction workers.
In 2008 the concrete and stone tunnels of this man made phenomenon were host to a more personal type of miracle. Francine Alfontent was travelling with her husband when her water broke at the East Broadway stop in Manhattan. The couple had been travelling to the hospital via train when the contractions started. The baby way born at 3:45 p.m. and was greeted with cheers from the surrounding crowd, the father receiving a number of enthusiastic high fives.
Husband, Wife and newly born were transported to New York’s Bellevue Hospital to recuperate from their ordeal, all three were reported to be in good health.
6. NYC Yellow Taxi
Another strange birth story from that capital of the world, New York, this time featuring another of its most iconic symbols: the yellow taxi.
Maya Polton was woken by the first of her contractions at around 12:30 in the morning in March of 2010. The expectant mother instantly recalled what she had learnt in her childbirth classes: Don’t come early, the hospital will just send you home. At 5:30 she awoke again, the contractions not being very painful she and her husband slept for a further two hours. Her water then broke at home. Her husband Eric, who was on the phone at the time, was told by their doctor to “Come to the hospital, now.”
From sources unknown Maya had picked up the idea that a shower would slow down her labour. So as Maya stepped into the shower, she reached down and felt the baby’s head between her legs. Eric phoned for a taxi immediately. The driver decided the quickest route to the St Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital would be to take the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. As the taxi entered the tunnel Eric lost phone contact with the Doctor; it was also the moment the baby decided to be born. With Maya crouched on the taxi’s back seat Eric calmly took over and delivered the baby whilst the taxi was speed through the tunnel.
All three were safely delivered to hospital, the only complication being how to determine if the baby was born in Brooklyn or Manhattan.
7. Sesame Street Theme Park
Info: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ReproductiveHealth/Story?id=7532440&page=3
It seems that similar to libraries, Busch Garden’s Sesame Place in Pennsylvania has an effect on expectant mothers; two births have been recorded there in the past ten years. The most recent arrival again occurred in that popular birth location, the bathroom stall and again, as seems to be the case with these odd birth locals, the birth was quick and relatively simple.
Takia Mann started to experience stomach cramps and headed to the bathroom, needless to say she got quite a shock when she realised what was happening. “It happened so fast.” Mann is quoted as saying “I didn’t have pain, just shock.” The woman in the next door cubical must also have had quite a shock to see Miss Mann emerge from the stall carrying 5lbs 11oz baby.
Elmo was dispatched to visit the mother and child at St. Mary’s Medical Centre in Longhorn. The entire Mann family received annual passes for 2009 as a birth gift.
8. Police Stop
Info: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7613505.stm
The UK is famous for its draconian parking laws, but the police officer who approached a car parked on double yellow lines was surprised to find that the occupants had a valid excuse: they were in throes of childbirth.
In 2008 Mr and Mrs Fitt whilst on the way to the hospital found that the baby had other plans. Mrs Fitt ordered her husband to stop at the side of the road. Community Support Officer Jonathan Burken stopped to investigate and was needless to say more than a little shocked to find Mrs Fitt in the final stages of labour.
Both Mr and Mrs Fitt were delighted to have a new addition to their family although they were concerned about the cost of having their car professionally driven home.
9. A Portable Toilet
The portable toilet is indicative of humankind’s progress, even a mere hundred years ago people would have been puzzled at the sight of a movable toilet, “Why not just poop in a bush?” they would say. These days however the portable potty is a common sight and all are glad of the dignity its four plastic walls provide.
This mobile monument to civilisation can be used for less than noble purposes as a 44 year old Maryland resident proved in July of 2009. After leaving a mobile toilet in Long Ward Park, Candy Vigeri bummed a cigarette from a fellow worker and sat down to enjoy her nicotine. A passer by then attempted to enter the toilet but Candy quickly interjected saying “Don’t go in there. I just had a baby…”.The man quickly alerted the police whilst Candy dived back into the toilet and rescued her new born from what could have been a very stinky demise.
Miss Vigeri was arrested for child abuse and reckless endangerment, the child was taken into care by Dorchester County Social Services.
10. A Tree
Info: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ReproductiveHealth/story?id=7532440&page=1
There are at least two stories currently circulating on the internet relating to children being born in the leafy crowns of nature’s sky scrapers.
The first the story of Carolina Chirindza (pictured above) who, during the heavy flooding of her native Mozambique, climbed a tree to escape the rising crocodile infested waters. Heavily pregnant, she spent four days without any food or water before giving birth to her baby, Rositha, soon after she was rescued by South African helicopters.
The other story, the details of which are far sketchier, comes from that most interesting of tropical islands, Papua New Guinea. Nolan Yekum and her partner were dragged from their house and hung from a tree after being charged by other villagers with carrying out acts of sorcery. Miss Yekum gave birth whilst hanging from the tree then managed to escape with her partner Paul Yekum. The couple went into hiding and the local government was called in to resolve the messy magical mayhem.
11. Online
Info: http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/stories/i-blogged-through-birth/
With the rise of digital media, the evaporation of barriers to communication and huge reduction in cost and complexity of computer hardware there are precious few nooks and crannies of human life left where the internet has yet to extend it’s pervasive digital hand.
In 2004 Rachel Mosteller decided to break down one more barrier and use her blog The Sarcastic Journalist to catalogue her pregnancy, from the early stages right up to the babies delivery. One of her updates read:
7:31 a.m.: After yet another vaginal exam, my doctor announced me fit to push. As they set up the room, I spotted my mom huddled in the corner. Even though I had spent the past several hours updating the Internet on the status of my crotch, I felt too embarrassed to have my mom see my “privates.”
Baby Ellie was born without serious complications, a fine head of black hair and is probably the youngest of all internet celebrities.
Did you give birth in an airplane?
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