Born on the run

By Casey Neill
A BELGRAVE woman has come to the aid of a Woori Yallock couple who welcomed their third child into the world in the front seat of their car.
Donna Draper was five days overdue when she woke in pain just before 9am on Sunday 27 April.
“After a few minutes I realised what was going on,” she said.
Ms Draper, her husband Travis and sons Jamie, 14, and Marcus, 3 were soon on their way to the Angliss Hospital.
But minutes later it was clear that the baby would not wait for them to arrive at the hospital.
“I wasn’t sure whether to push or not but he didn’t give me much choice in that,” Ms Draper said.
Mr Draper pulled over in Belgrave’s main street.
Just 40 minutes after waking up, Ms Draper gave birth to Lee Alex.
“After my husband caught the baby he was in a bit of shock and didn’t want to put him down,” she said.
“He wanted to make sure he kept breathing and he was OK. He was calling out ‘help me, can someone help me’.”
It was then that Kathleen Ward came to their rescue.
Ms Ward was walking back to her car from the laundromat when she heard Mr Draper’s cries for help.
When she saw him with blood on the front of his shirt, she thought there had been a fight.
“I thought ‘I don’t know what’s happened but someone could be dying in that car’,” she said.
“As I walked towards him I could see an umbilical cord draped from his hands and I realised he had a baby in his arms.”
Mr Draper asked her if she could drive his car, not wanting to let go of his new son.
“I said ‘of course, get in’,” Ms Ward said.
The mother of four said both parents were concerned about the health of their baby, who was born with his umbilical cord around his neck.
“I just kept saying ‘everything’s fine, you’re fine’,” she said.
“It was a very powerful, intimate and moving experience, I’m so lucky to have been present.”
Ms Ward visited the couple and their new son in hospital the next day.
“It was wonderful to see them looking so happy,” she said.
“I’m just thrilled that it worked out so well and that everyone is safe, happy and healthy.”