Father's motorway baby delivery

Baby Grace was born within minutes of her dad stopping on the M1

A man from South Yorkshire was forced to help deliver his baby daughter in the footwell of his car on a motorway.

Paul Quealey, from Rotherham, was driving his wife Nicola to hospital when she told him to pull over near Junction 35 of the M1.

Minutes later Grace was born with her dad acting as midwife.

Mr Quealey told BBC Radio Sheffield he had felt sure he could make the 25-minute trip from the couple's home to Jessops hospital in Sheffield before his wife gave birth.

Padded footwell

"My wife said we needed to go to the hospital and I just said 'I'll get you there'. In hindsight I shouldn't have said anything.

"As soon as we set off she more or less needed to push straight away so I carried on going. After about a minute I phoned 999 because I knew she wasn't going to make it."

With me on one side and the paramedic on the other, we delivered the baby into the footwell of the car Grace's father Paul Quealey

Mr Quealey pulled over on the motorway and as he waited for a paramedic he padded the footwell of the car with his wife's dressing gown so the expectant mother could get into position to give birth.

Within minutes of the paramedic's arrival, baby Grace was born.

Brilliant present

"With me on one side and the paramedic on the other we delivered the baby into the footwell of the car," said Mr Quealey.

After routine check-ups at the hospital, mother and baby were allowed home to join Mr Quealey and the couple's first child, 18-month-old Jack, for a family Christmas.

"It was a brilliant Christmas present," said Mr Quealey.

"I was sure I could make it to the hospital in time. It didn't cross my mind that we would have the baby anywhere other than in a hospital."