A mum who gave birth on the stairs of a hospital has said her antenatal classes prepared her for the 'easy birth'.
Liz Gaffney, 32, gave birth to her second baby, Isla, four weeks ago on the stairs up to the delivery suite of the Alexandra Hospital in Worcestershire, with only her husband Stuart in attendance.
The mum had suffered tokophobia - a fear of childbirth - with her first baby, Conor, who is now two, and had sought classes to help prepare for her second delivery.
She said her local Daisy Birthing antenatal sessions gave her the confidence to believe in her body's capabilities - especially when her labour took an unexpected turn!
"The classes gave me lots of practical techniques for relaxing and staying calm that just became second nature. The classes built my confidence and belief in my body to give birth," she told the Redditch Advertiser. "I was so relaxed and was coping so well at home that when I spoke to the midwives they were happy for me to stay at home for a while, telling me to come in if things progressed."
But just 30 minutes after speaking to the delivery suite on the phone, things progressed, and Liz was at the hospital.
Baby Isla made her dramatic appearance as her mum and dad tried to make their way into the delivery unit - popping out on the staircase! Her amazing arrival stunned hospital staff and visitors and left her parents inundated with well-wishers.
"I had so many visitors to me on the ward who had been with me shortly after the birth - even the porter, who said: 'You made my day'," Liz said.
"Everyone at the Alex was brilliant. I couldn't fault how they looked after me."
The proud mum added that she no longer fears childbirth and has told her husband she wants to do it again - though we hope somewhere a little more comfy than a stairwell next time!