Dramatic Geelong birth leads to happy reintroduction

AN EARLIER than planned pregnancy this month in Geelong resulted in a happy occasion and brought a new life into the world.

Levi Gardener was born just over half an hour after mother Cassie Walters started regular contractions, but the family has only recently been able to thank the paramedics who helped.

“My partner was on the phone to Triple Zero (000) and they told us to pull over and talked him through what to do,” Ms Walters said.

“Levi was here before the ambulance, but he only made a tiny little cry at first, so we were very relieved once the paramedics arrived.”

While on the way to the hospital, Levi was born in Boundary Road, Newcomb just a few minutes from home in the passenger seat of his parents’ car.

Following the birth at 11.05pm on March 7, Levi was ventilated and taken to hospital, with his condition improving on arrival.

Geelong senior team manager Ben Francis was the first paramedic to arrive at the scene.

“The baby was being held by his dad in the front seat, but he wasn’t crying or breathing as well as we would have liked to see,” Mr Francis said.

“As we cared for Levi, we requested extra assistance for Cassie, who also required treatment.

“When we handed him over to the nurses, he began crying, which was a big relief to everyone.”

The newly expanded family was able to go home following two nights at Geelong Hospital, but Ms Walters described it all as a bit of a blur.

“I don’t think we’ve fully processed how it all happened,” she said.

“Despite how he came, he seems to be a really relaxed baby, so hopefully that continues.”

Advanced Life Support paramedic Joel Woolley, who was on the scene when Ms Walters was giving birth, said it was wonderful to reconnect with the family later on.

“It was a great outcome and as a parent myself, I can’t imagine how stressful it would have been.

“We don’t often get the chance to follow up with our patients, so it was fantastic to see them all doing so well.”

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare revealed in a report in December that 0.7 per cent of births occurred outside of a hospital, birth centre, or home.