Couple help woman give birth on Tunbridge Wells Hospital pavement

From left to right: Lewis McCallum's daughter Siena, Mr McCallum, Zara Winter and Cassius, Ms Azura Wenham and Apsey-Lee, Mr Cottle and daughter Delilah

A couple helped a woman give birth on the pavement outside a hospital entrance after she was delayed en route to the maternity ward due to roadworks.

Bethany Azura Wenham and her fiancé Jack Cottle arrived at Tunbridge Wells Hospital on 30 July as she was in the late stages of labour.

She did not make it into the hospital building in time, but a couple helped deliver her baby outside.

The hospital said staff arrived within seven minutes of being alerted.

Ms Azura Wenham, from Uckfield, East Sussex, was assisted by Zara Winter, who was in the early stages of labour herself, and her partner Lewis McCallum.

The couple noticed Ms Azura Wenham when they were leaving the hospital building after being sent home by midwives.

Ms Azura Wenham, who has two other children, said her waters broke as she got out of the car, after a fast labour of just two hours.

"I was on the floor, very much exposed to everyone," she said. "My body just completely took over and it was like: 'You need to push. He's coming now.'"

Her fiancé said he looked down and could see the baby's head.

He looked around for help but there was nobody around apart from a security guard, who alerted the maternity ward.

At that point, Mr McCallum and his partner walked past.

Mr Cottle said Mr McCallum was a "hero"

Mr McCallum helped deliver the baby, and unravelled the umbilical cord, which was wrapped around his neck twice.

"I instinctively grabbed his head and unwound it," he said. "I could feel his heart beating."

Ms Winter, meanwhile, comforted Ms Azura Wenham, stroking her head before medical assistance arrived.

"She was like an angel above me," she said.

According to research, around one in 200 births are unplanned Births Before Arrival (BBA), meaning they take place outside of a hospital setting without medical assistance.

Midwife Piroska Cavell said: "It tends to be more common with second and subsequent babies because you never know how long you've got.

"The first baby might have taken quite a long while - that's quite normal - and the second and subsequent can be a little bit different and quite a bit quicker, so it does catch people off guard.

"We very often used to get calls to run down to the car park."

Both mothers and babies are now doing well.

As the couples did not exchange contact details, Ms Azura Wenham put a post on Facebook to find the pair who helped her give birth to baby Apsey-Lee, and the families met up a week later.

Tunbridge Wells Hospital congratulated Ms Azura Wenham and her family and said CCTV footage showed that help arrived less than seven minutes after the couple alerted the team.

Ms Azura Wenham said: "Because I had such a long labour with [my previous baby] I was just so chilled."

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].