Policeman thanked for special delivery
L-R Pc Trevor Spinlove with Freida Alison Elizabeth Mustchin, Antony Mustchin , Dr Julia Cussans. - Credit: Sarah Lucy brown
A proud father has thanked the policeman who helped deliver his newborn daughter at the side of a road.
Antony Mustchin rushed home from work on Tuesday morning when his wife Julia Cussans called to say her waters had broken.
But as they drove from their home in Eye to Ipswich Hospital, it soon became clear they would not get there in time.
As the couple, both architects, reached the outskirts of Suffolk's county town, Dr Cussans turned to her husband to say the baby was coming. 'We got onto Norwich Road and it was just past the sports pitches when she said: 'We've got to pull over now',' Mr Mustchin said.
'I pulled into the bus lane and went to knock on a few doors but there was no answer.'
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As he readied himself to deliver his own daughter, Mr Mustchin saw a police car driven by PC Trevor Spinlove and rushed to flag him down.
'I said: 'Could you call an ambulance, my wife's having a baby,' and he said yes,' Mr Mustchin said.
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'It was all extremely quick. I delivered her in the passenger seat of the car and the paramedics turned up a couple of minutes later.'
And afterwards the grateful dad thanked PC Spinlove for his help.
'He was a very reassuring presence and really helpful. We were so lucky he was driving past at the time.'
The officer himself admitted delivering a baby certainly was not what he thought he would be doing when he set out to work.
PC Spinlove said: 'I was driving down Norwich Road and dad has flagged me down.
'I checked on them first and they looked like they knew what they were doing.
'I rang ambulance control and explained it to them. I pretty much left mum and dad to do the birth between them. If dad hadn't been there or didn't know what he was doing, I would have dived in and done as much as I could.'
PC Spinlove said the whole incident lasted no more than 20 minutes, in which time he relayed advice from the ambulance staff on the other end of the phone to the couple.
Mr Mustchin and Dr Cussans, who already have one girl, named the 8lb newborn Freida Alison Elizabeth Mustchin.
