When Nikkita Moore went into labour on Mothering Sunday her son was in such a hurry that her mother Sarah had to act as midwife and brought 7lb 15oz baby Henley safely into the world.
It had all the makings of a perfect labour surrounded by family in the comfort of her own home.
But the young mum from Dereham and her partner Nathan Gostling are now seeking an apology from the ambulance service and the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital after they say the post birth experience became unnecessarily traumatic and potentially life-threatening.
The couple say the paramedics who attended seemed untrained for the situation insisting they go to hospital where they were made to feel unwelcome and needlessly taking up a bed in an already overstretched department.
Senior managers at both the midwifery and ambulance services have offered to meet with the family to discuss their concerns.
Miss Moore, 23, who runs the Kimblewick Equestrian Centre at North Tuddenham with her mother, went into labour early in the morning on Sunday, March 15 but as the on-call midwives were at another delivery they were advised to call 999.
Mrs Moore, who arrived at the house first, delivered her daughter's baby at 6.40am being guided by a medic on the telephone. 'I had planned to be at the birth but I had hoped there would be a midwife doing the delivery,' she said. 'Twenty minutes later the paramedics arrived and that is where it started to go wrong.'
They refused to clamp and cut the umbilical cord or help deliver the placenta, say the family.
'I was having contractions because the placenta was ready to come out but they just wanted to give me gas and air,' said Miss Moore.
'They they said they could not wait for the midwife any longer even though she was probably only 20 minutes away by then and they would have to take me to hospital. The female paramedic said she had never delivered a baby before and didn't know what to do and the male one didn't really say anything. I felt like they were rushing me to get me off their hands. They said I didn't have time to get any clothes on and they put a silly hospital blanket round me and strapped me in a chair and tried to carry me downstairs like that. I felt every bump.'
Mrs Moore said she was worried her daughter would haemmhorage and that could mean losing the baby as she was turning paler by the minute. The couple's other son Regan, three, was also getting upset seeing his parents and new baby brother being bundled into the back of an ambulance.
But then when they arrived at the hospital they said staff were up in arms that they should not have come in and were rude and abrupt. And rather than send them home as quickly as possible the family had to wait until 4pm for their paediatric checks.
'They sent me home without any notes and without the course of injections I was told I would need because I have a family history of blood clotting,' said Miss Moore. 'I had pains in my legs and it could have been quite dangerous.
'It has put me off having another baby even though the birth went so well, but what happened afterwards was so distressing.'
The family said they would like an apology for their treatment because they put their trust in the medical experts and felt they were let down.
Mr Gostling, a leisure club manager, said: 'It was all quite overwhelming at the time but now I am getting really angry about it. Luckily Henley is perfect.'
The East of England Ambulance Service and the midwifery team at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital have both promised to investigate the issues raised by the family.
A spokesman for the ambulance service said: 'We're pleased to hear that baby Henley is doing well after his birth last week. We attended the family at just after 6.30am, following their 999 call, and took mum and newborn into hospital shortly afterwards. We're making contact with the family so we can further investigate their concerns over the care received and actions taken.'
Glynis Moore, Head of Midwifery at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, added: 'We aim to provide all women with a good experience when they give birth, whether at home or in the hospital. We are very sorry that Ms Moore had a difficult experience and we will look into the circumstances. We are happy to meet with her to discuss what happened in more detail and respond to all the issues she has raised.'
* Do you have a birth story to share? Email kathryn.cross@archant.co.uk
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