A DARWEN mum has praised her three-year-old son who helped ‘dad’ with an unexpected delivery at their home.

Jeni Rigby, 31 gave birth to daughter Meghan Hope on the floor of her son’s bedroom in Prospect Avenue on Monday morning.

Husband Calum became a stand-in midwife delivered the baby who had her umbellical cord around her neck.

Meanwhile toddler son Elliot stepped forward and comforted his mum through the contractions and birth.

Jeni, who was two days overdue had not been planning a home birth.

She said she had not experienced any contraction pain until 40 minutes before 10lb 2oz Meghan made her arrival.

The drama unfolded as Jeni noticed that her contractions were getting closer together and Calum called Blackburn Birth Centre at Royal Blackburn Hospital.

“I had just got through to the hospital and they told us to come in when Jeni screamed out that she needed to push,” said Calum, shop manager of Scope charity shop in Ainsworth Street, Blackburn.

“I rang for an ambulance and as I was on the phone Jeni got out of the bath and said she could feel a head. I said on the phone: ‘we’ve got a head’.

“I was told to get her to lie down so we went into the nearest room which was Elliots, grabbed a plastic sheet to put on the floor. I was told to tell her to push while I had my hands on the babys head to ease her out.

“Elliot had been putting his coat on to go to the hospital but came in when he heard Jeni crying.

“He was worried about Jeni because he ran into the room and sat by me stroking her foot and making sure she was ok.

“I was nervous and was hoping that the paramedics would come before she was born but Elliot didn’t seem phased by it.”

Jeni said: ”I just thought that I was having Braxton Hicks at first because they weren’t painful and I had never experienced any contractions before as I had an epidural with Elliot.

“When the pain started I got into the bath and Elliot sat by me pouring water onto my stomach to try and ease the pain.

“Suddenly I felt an overwhelming urge to push.

“I was a bit worried because we weren’t at the hospital but I didn’t really have time to think about it.”

Calum added: “The ambulance service were great and talked me through what I needed to do.

“After her head came out I noticed that the cord was wrapped around her body and loosely around her neck so I unwrapped it and then the rest of her body slipped out.

“As soon as she was born the paramedic turned up and took over.

“I took Elliot downstairs out of the way and he watched a film and had his lunch like nothing had happened, but I was shaking for the next two hours. I couldn’t believe that I had just delivered our baby.

“If we have any more children it would be nice to be able to help assist in their births too, it made it really special.”

Jeni added: “Elliot and Calum were fantastic, I couldn’t have done it without them."

“The paramedics gave Meghan a blast of oxygen as the birth was so quick she was slightly shocked, but then they checked us both over and said we were ok and that we could stay at home.

“I think I was still a bit in shock by it last night but it was lovely to be able to get into my own bed and have a hot chocolate and a biscuit.”