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When Meg Ellis and her partner Jack McAuley went for a walk along the Goondiwindi Macintyre River, they didn’t expect to be delivering their baby daughter along the riverwalk.
But that’s exactly what happened when the expectant couple went for a short walk outdoors before what they’d thought would be a long day of labouring ahead.
Meg, who was already at 42 weeks pregnant, had her waters broken just before 8am that morning. As a Registered Nurse with Darling Downs Health and already a mum to toddler Patrick, she knew it could still be several hours of labour before the baby arrived.
“They broke my waters and said, ‘Be back in two hours or as needed’, so we walked along the riverside to get chai and croissants to prepare ourselves for a long day of labour,” Meg said.
“We had walked 400 metres and my partner went and got our drinks. He was on his way back to me and I started to get really uncomfortable, so we rang the midwife’s phone to get someone to pick us up.
“My midwife, Sally, came and drove to us – literally drove the car to us along the riverwalk – but I had to tell her I couldn’t walk to her car because I felt like I wanted to push,” she said.
To which Sally calmly replied, “OK, lay down”.
It was at that moment Meg accepted she was having her baby along the riverwalk.
“I don’t even know how many pushes – there was a baby there in no time,” she laughed.
Within minutes, another three midwives arrived on foot to deliver more support and an ambulance arrived to transport the happy and healthy mum and bub back to the Goondiwindi Hospital.
While it wasn’t the birthing experience Meg had expected, she praised the expertise of the General Practice Obstetricians, ambulance officers, and midwifery team who all made it feel “so calm” … despite the “beautifully spontaneous” riverside location.
“I certainly didn’t think I’d be giving birth outside of hospital, but it all happened quickly and calmly,” she said.
“A huge thanks to my midwife, Sally, who guided us through the birthing journey these past few months and whose intuition, experience, and calmness in the situation we happened to find ourselves in allowed us to embrace the moment and for it to be a memorable one.”
Meg said there had been plenty of suggestions to name her “patiently impatient” baby girl River, or Banks, or something to do with the water, but she and her partner had settled on Piper Rose Jayme McAuley.
Thankfully, Meg still got to enjoy her coffee and croissant after Piper’s arrival.
Darling Downs Health Executive Director Rural Dr Chris Cowling said he was pleased to hear all were doing well since the birth.
“I’m happy to hear both Meg and baby Piper are doing well and are now back home with Dad Jack and big brother Patrick,” Dr Cowling said.
“At Darling Downs Health, we certainly aim to birth in hospital wherever possible, but I’m proud of the way our team members responded under the circumstances and am pleased with such a positive outcome for all.”
Darling Downs Health Executive Director Rural Dr Chris Cowling
Ms Ellis had been working with Sally since she was 22 weeks’ pregnant, as part of the Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) care – a model of maternity care offered at several hospitals across the Darling Downs region.
“The MGP model of care partners expectant parents with a known midwife who provides for individual care needs and preferences during pregnancy, labour, birth, and after birth care,” Dr Cowling said.
“The MGP complements existing Darling Downs Health maternity care and provides further opportunity for rural parents to birth closer to home.”
MGP care is available for expectant mothers and families in the Toowoomba, Western Downs, Southern Downs, and South Burnett regions.