Pregnant doctor pauses own delivery to help deliver patient's baby in distress

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels.

Every woman has a birthing story. Each of those stories is special and unique and features a mighty mama. One obstetrician in Kentucky, however, is taking the trophy this week. Despite being in labor herself, she got out of bed and delivered someone else’s baby.

Dr. Amanda Hess, an OBGYN, was at Frankfort Regional Medical Center preparing to be induced for her own delivery when she heard a fellow patient at the hospital screaming, according to WKYT. Hess quickly realized the woman was a patient she’d just seen the week before at the woman’s prenatal appointment.

Recommended Videos



That patient, Leah Halliday-Johnson, was fully dilated, but the on-call doctor wasn’t back at the hospital from a break yet. Her child was arriving quicker than expected and the umbilical cord was loosely wrapped around the baby’s neck.

Hess said there wasn’t any time to waste, so “I just put on another gown to cover up my backside and put on some boots over my shoes, to keep from getting any fluid and all that stuff on me, and went down to her room and I knew her.”

Hess said Halliday-Johnson was relieved to get the birthing process moving when she saw her.

"She was just glad to be able to get to push and have the baby out and not have to wait any longer,” Hess said.

Halliday-Johnson told People, “I said, ‘OK, it’s great to see you. Can I push now?’ She was in complete doctor mode. She just heard somebody needed help.”

Halliday-Johnson’s healthy daughter was born at 8:40 p.m. on July 23.

Hess gave birth to a healthy baby girl a short time later.

Hats off to this #DrMom and member of Physician Moms Group #PMG, Dr. Amanda Hess! This picture was taken minutes after...

Posted by Dr. Hala Sabry on Tuesday, July 25, 2017

[READ NEXT: Pilots or angels? These good Samaritans volunteer plane, time to rescue animalsSisters take story time to Facebook Live so no child has to miss outProm vs. wedding: These high school sweethearts show off their stunning transformations]


About the Author:

Dawn Jorgenson, Graham Media Group Branded Content Managing Editor, began working with the group in April 2013. She graduated from Texas State University with a degree in electronic media.