Postman's precious delivery was a lay-by baby (From Hereford Times)

Postman's precious delivery was a lay-by baby

9:10am Monday 16th April 2012 in Leominster

A postman took care of his most precious delivery yet when his wife gave birth in a lay-by.

Ian Sharp was making a midnight dash to Hereford County Hospital’s maternity unit with his wife Vicky when he was forced to abandon the journey and help deliver the couple’s second child in a layby near Wigmore on Easter Sunday.

The couple were left with no choice but to try to travel from their Knighton home to Hereford after being told there was no-one at a nearby birthing centre and that the midwife was two hours away.

But having only reached Adforton the couple, who picked up Ian’s mum Sandra on the way, realised they were not going to make the remaining 20 miles to the hospital in time.

“I was suffering from shock and thinking about it now it’s like something out of the TV show Casualty,” said Vicky.

“Sandra was great; she is a Knighton First Responder and I think her training helped us so much. She didn’t panic at all and helped to keep us both calm.”

The couple named the baby Lewis and he weighed in at seven pounds, one ounce.