Friday, May 29, 2009

Woman Gives Birth On London Underground

A mother gave birth to the first baby boy to be born on the tube, transport chiefs said today.

Michelle Jenkins, 32, was taken into the staff room at London Bridge station around lunchtime on Tuesday after her waters broke early while she was travelling on the Jubilee line.

The baby, who has not yet been named, is the first boy and only the third child to be born on the London Underground network.

Jenkins asked station staff for help and was taken to the staff room to wait for an ambulance, but her son was born before it could arrive.

A Transport for London spokeswoman said: "A baby boy was born in the staff room at London Bridge tube station on Tuesday at just after 2pm.

"London Underground staff called an ambulance at 1.48pm for a female customer who was experiencing the initial signs of labour.

"Our employees attended to the pregnant woman and made sure she was comfortable while the ambulance arrived.

"Three doctors also came to help with the birth after being called by London Underground staff via the public address system.

"The woman and her healthy newborn baby were then taken to hospital at around 2.20pm."

Last December, Julia Kowalska became only the second person to have a baby on the tube after her waters broke on the Jubilee line. She got off the train with her sister at Kingsbury station, north-west London, and went into labour on the platform. Jennifer, a healthy girl, was born at 9.35pm on December 19.

Transport for London said the only other recorded birth on the Underground was in 1924, when Marie Cordery was born at Elephant & Castle.


from http://www.guardian.co.uk

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