John Anderson, 39, delivered his second daughter at home after his partner Adele Crisp went into a rapid 21-minute labour, four years after he did the same for their first child.
Adele, 34, was woken in the early hours of August 14 by intense cramps while 36 weeks and two days into her second pregnancy. By the time she was told to make her way to her maternity unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, she was already progressed in labour.
John guided Adele to the living room, where, following a 21-minute labour, he delivered their daughter, Saige-Elizabeth, at 3.55am.
Déjà vu for the couple
Adele described the moment as "déjà vu", as four years prior, John had delivered their first daughter, Georgia, in the very same home after she arrived nearly six weeks early in March 2022. On both occasions, John had to step in to help with the births as both girls arrived so unexpectedly quickly, just minutes before paramedics arrived for each child.
Adele, a full-time mum from Walker, Newcastle, said: "It's crazy this happened not only once, but twice. They both arrived really quickly, at the same house, and John had to catch both of the babies. It felt like déjà vu. You couldn't make it up."
First birth in 2022
Adele only discovered she was expecting their first daughter at 28 weeks pregnant in January 2022. Just six weeks later, at 34 weeks and two days, her waters broke on March 4, 2022.
She was told to keep track of the contractions but observed them accelerating more rapidly than expected, entering active labour while in the bathroom. John, who was employed at a call centre at the time, rang for an ambulance and received guidance through the delivery over the phone.
Adele said: "Within two hours and 11 minutes of my water's breaking, she had arrived. I was told not to push yet but my body needed to – it knew what to do. The paramedic heard as I told dad to catch her as she came out."
Georgia, weighing 5lb 12.5oz, remained in hospital for 12 days requiring a feeding tube and breathing support following her premature arrival.
Second birth and recovery
Four years on, the couple were thrilled to discover they were expecting their second child in January 2026. Adele developed gestational diabetes throughout the pregnancy and underwent regular monitoring through scans. She was scheduled to be induced on 19 August, but several days beforehand, on August 14, her waters broke.
She said: "I was told to get taxi to hospital rather than call an ambulance. But my partner knew it was similar to last time and the baby was coming, so he called an ambulance. He could already see her head and knew she was coming."
A mere 21 minutes afterwards, their daughter Saige-Elizabeth, weighing 6lb 4.5oz, was delivered by dad and transported by ambulance to RVI hospital. After spending one night in the NICU receiving treatment for jaundice and slightly rapid breathing, followed by a further six days on a ward, the baby was able to return home.
Adele said: "My partner's auntie, Julie, was supposed to be my birthing partner, but by the time she got her coat on and arrived, Saige was here. She's doing well and it's nice to all be home again."
