Pontypool couple thank 999 call handler who helped birth their baby over the phone

20.11.2024

A PONTYPOOL couple has thanked the ambulance call handler who supported them to deliver their baby boy at home.

When Angie Belli, 33, from Pontnewynydd, Pontypool, started having contractions at home, she wasn’t worried as they weren’t painful and were quite far apart.

Angie, who is a senior compliance officer with a local housing authority and her husband Ben, 38, decided to stay at home and see how things developed.

The couple, who also have a four-year-old daughter named Millie, planned ahead and asked Millie’s aunt if she could look after her for the night, just in case things developed.

This turned out to be a wise decision because just a few hours later, at 3.00am on the morning of 27 October, Angie’s contractions had suddenly become more painful and were now just a few minutes apart.

Ben, who is an insurance underwriter, rang the maternity department at 3.40am to advise that they would be coming in but by the time the couple had gotten everything prepared, it became clear that they would not make it to the hospital in time.

It was at that point, at 3.57am that Ben called for an ambulance and was connected with Welsh Ambulance Service call handler Robyn Webber.

Ben said: “I was a little bit in disbelief to be honest and the thought of having to deliver our baby at home without any medical professionals to help was daunting.

“There was some fear and some panic, but Robyn was excellent, and she helped keep me and Angie really calm while she relayed instructions to us over the phone.

“There were a couple of moments where I really started to get flustered, but she was always there, talking me through each step and reassuring me that help was on its way.”

Amazingly, just twelve minutes after the initial call was received, and before help could arrive, baby Eddie was born, arriving into the world at 4.09am.

Robyn, 33, who is based at Vantage Point House in Cwmbran and has been an emergency call handler for two years, said: “Home births can be amongst the most difficult calls you can take as a call handler because there are so many variables and so many different things that can go wrong.

“During my time with the Welsh Ambulance Service, I have taken five or six calls like this and they never get easier so well done to Ben, he did incredibly well in what were very tense and stressful circumstances.

“Congratulations to Angie, Ben, Millie and baby Eddie, I’m so happy for all of them.”

An ambulance arrived just a few minutes after the birth and the crew came in to find that Ben had already wrapped Eddie in a clean, warm blanket and placed him next to Angie.

Angie said: “Ben was so relieved when the crew arrived as he was in the process of following Robyn’s instructions on what to do with the baby’s cord.

“His face was red, and I think the paramedics could see that he had just been through a difficult experience.

“He was definitely happy to hand over to the crew and let them take it from there.”

Shortly after Eddie’s birth, a midwife arrived to check on his health and make sure all was well.

To the couple’s surprise, baby Eddie was so well that after being checked over by the midwife, it was decided that mum and baby did not even need to go into hospital.

Angie said: “When the midwife had checked us over and told us we could stay at home it was really surprising as the delivery of Millie was a much more difficult delivery and there were complications.

“We just couldn’t believe how well everything had gone and once everyone had left, it was surreal to be sat in our own with our son who had only arrived an hour or so earlier.

“We video called family members and when they asked how things were going, we said: ‘Oh you know, nothing much happening here’ and then turned the camera around so they could see Eddie.

“They were all stunned, and it took them a moment to take in what they were seeing.”

Later that day, the family were completed when Millie was brought home from her aunt’s house and introduced to her baby brother.

Bethan Jones, Local Safety Champion and Midwife at the Welsh Ambulance Service said: “The pre-arrival advice that women and birthing people receive when ringing 999 is crucial to delivering high quality care from the time a 999 call is placed.

“The call handler’s role is pivotal in this, and Robyn was a great support to Angie and Ben during and after the birth of their son, Eddie.

“We are always delighted to hear the positive experiences of people that use our service, and it is great that they were supported by maternity services and remained at home after the birth.

“The Trust is continuing to work with maternity and neonatal safety support programmes to ensure clear and consistent approaches to maternity and neonatal safety in the pre-arrival and pre-hospital setting.”