A West Lothian woman has expressed her eternal gratitude to Scottish Ambulance Service staff who swiftly transported her to hospital after she unexpectedly went into labour at home.
Emergency Response
Aimee Hogg, a 32-year-old mother from Bathgate, was 38 weeks pregnant with her third child and scheduled for a planned caesarean section the following week. However, her waters broke just before 2am on March 26 while she was in bed. A 999 call was made at 1.50am, answered by Marianne Mckeown (West ACC). Tony Vallance, a technician at Bathgate Ambulance Station, was dispatched by Amy Bennett (East ACC) and arrived first, followed by a Sauchie crew comprising Tracy Drysdale, Samantha Derrick, and student paramedic Chantelle Patrick.
The crews transported Aimee to St John’s Hospital, where she gave birth to her third child, Ally, at 3.23am.
Heartfelt Thanks
Aimee said: “I am forever grateful to them all and wanted to pass on my heartfelt thanks. Everyone who was there was so calm, reassuring and quick-thinking. I had a placental abruption, which is a life-threatening situation for the baby, and sometimes the mum too. If it wasn’t for them, it could have been a very different story.”
She added: “It was an emergency situation and, thanks to their quick actions, my son was born safely within an hour of us arriving at St John’s Hospital while I was under general anaesthetic. The crews were amazing and made me feel like I had no need to panic.”
Staying Calm Under Pressure
Reflecting on the incident, Aimee said she remained composed throughout, despite knowing the seriousness of the situation due to heavy bleeding. She explained: “I was focused on resolving the situation quickly, such as calling an ambulance and getting to hospital as soon as possible, rather than being scared. In the days afterwards, I really struggled mentally with the ‘what ifs’. I was reassured that we did the right thing by acting so quickly, as the outcome could have been much worse for both the baby and me. It was a very fast chain of events that only happened because of the rapid and clear decision-making by everyone involved.”
Previous Births
Aimee noted that her earlier deliveries were less complicated. Her first daughter was born via caesarean section after labour stalled, but without immediate danger. Her second child was an elective caesarean that went smoothly. “This time, I was due to have another elective section, but my son had other ideas,” she said.
Future Plans
As a token of appreciation, Aimee’s husband, Stuart, plans to run the Edinburgh Marathon next year in aid of St John’s Hospital.
