Linlithgow dad delivers newborn daughter on bathroom floor

A surprised dad had to catch and care for his newborn daughter after a speedy arrival saw her born on the bathroom floor.

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Chris Marshall was the first person to see Isla Elsie Mary Marshall as she entered the world at 2.54am on March 7 – her due date - weighing 7lb 9oz.

His wife Carly, who is from Brisbane in Australia, had gone into labour the night before but hadn’t felt ready to go to hospital.

Carly with her newborn baby Isla Elsie Mary Marshall.

The 36-year-old primary school teacher said: "I had kind of been in labour the night before but it calmed down. I called the hospital and they said to just let them know when my waters break, but it never happened.

"I was so calm. The contractions were fine and I didn’t think I had to go to hos pital yet. I had woken up about midnight and was breathing through the contractions, then at about 2am they got closer together.”

The couple, who also have a two-year-old son, decided to make their way to the hospital but were stopped when Carly felt the urge to push. "This was my second child so I knew the feeling and I just thought, ‘Uh, oh, we’re not going to make it to the hospital’,” said Carly.

"I knew I was going to have to push and that’s when my husband had to spring into action. From there it’s all such a blur but I knew she was going to be born at the house. Five or six pushes later, she was here.”

Chris was on the phone to a 999 operator throughout Isla’s birth, and an ambulance was sent to the house.

"Chris just kept thinking, ‘Don’t drop her, don’t drop her’,” said Carly. “When the operator said ‘Now remember, the baby will be very slippy’, little did we realise that she meant as slippy as a wet eel. He was really pleased they had warned him because we didn’t realise how true it would be.

"It all happened so quickly, he didn’t have a chance to think about it, it just happened. I think the fact he got to do it was great.”

The pair’s son Artair, whom the family call Artie, was thrilled to be one of the first to welcome his little sister to the family.

"He’s pretty chuffed to be a big brother now,” said Carly. “He was a bit upset at first just with the chaos but then he was looking out the window for the ambulance so he was really excited about that.”

Isla’s birth was originally planned to take place in St John’s Hospital but instead it was at Bonnytoun House – Chris’s brother’s house. The pair are staying there after having moved from London last year when the pandemic enabled animator Chris to work from home.

Chris’s parents were also staying at the house last week, making Isla’s birth even more of a family affair.

“Chris is really excited that Isla has been born in Scotland,” said Carly. "When we had Artie, we were all alone in London so it’s so lovely to have family around us and helping.”

And she said the birth story is one that wowed her family in Australia and one she can't wait to tell Isla when she’s older.

"It's a great story and we’re all really excited about it," she said, adding that Isla’s birth was made even more special by the fact she was born withinthe Linlithgow townboundaries.

“My midwife informed us that our daughter is officially a ‘Black Bitch’ because she was born at home inside the burgh’s boundaries,” she said. "I love the Black Bitch story, we are very proud to be part of it.”

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