Birth is complicated, messy, and often doesn’t go to plan – but there was nothing to prepare one mum who ended up giving birth in the back of an Uber.
Lara Cameron-Cole had five days until her due date when her waters broke while she was having dinner at home in New Cross, London. The 38-year-old, already mum to two boys, was advised to head to hospital as quickly as possible – so her husband, Eniola, 38, called an Uber.
The couple bundled pretty quickly into the back of the car, but within minutes Lara could feel the baby’s head between her legs. Seconds later, her daughter was born in the foot well – without mum even having to push.
“I’m already a mum-of-two so I thought I knew what to expect when I went into labour,” she said. “This time around it was so quick though. All in all, from my waters breaking to the baby arriving, it took about 10 minutes.”
Speaking about the speedy birth, Lara said: “At home before we left, I pulled my dress off and then felt down and I had my hand on her whole head. I told Eniola: ‘I can feel the baby’s head’ and he said: ‘Surely not’.
“He was on the phone to the hospital and I could hear them saying: ‘Just hold on, you’re almost here’. I couldn’t stop it though, I didn’t even push [in the taxi], the next thing I knew my baby was here.”
After looking at their Uber receipt, the couple estimated their daughter Florance was born at 5.13pm; they later discovered she weighed a healthy 6lbs 8oz.
Lara and Eniola tipped their driver, Sherif Cacaj, who put his foot down to make it to hospital as speedily as he could. A team of medics were waiting to assist the parents with warm blankets.
Mum and baby were checked over, and Lara delivered her placenta before she and Eniola took their new addition home.
Uber driver Sherif Cacaj, 55, from Deptford, London, has been an Uber driver for six months and was shocked to find he had an extra passenger.
“First the lady in my car said: ‘It’s coming, it’s coming’ and the next thing I knew she said ‘the baby is out’ and it was crying,” he said. “I just drove as fast as I could to get to the hospital in about five/six minutes.
“The car was a bit messy, but not too much.”
No mention of the fine – but we guess Sherif let that one go.