Baby Mina Karimi was in a hurry to be born, catching her mum off guard and arriving in the front seat of the car outside Mater Mothers’ Hospital at South Brisbane.
Mater midwives Lisa Klamer and Veronica Long were walking into the hospital when they heard a commotion and saw Algester mother Sibo Karimi about to give birth in the front seat of her sister’s car.
“I was petrified,” said Mrs Karimi. “Contractions started the night before but then fizzled out.
“My sister drove me to the hospital about 1pm the next day when they had started again.”
Mrs Karimi said it was only a 25-minute drive from her Algester home to the hospital, but her contractions escalated quickly in both strength and frequency.
“My waters broke when we turned off the freeway, and then everything was happening.”
Ms Klamer, a Nurse Unit Manager at Mater Mothers’ Hospital with more than 25 years of experience in midwifery, said she noticed a car parked in the middle of the hospital driveway entry with all four doors open.
“Then I saw a woman – who I later learned was Sibo – leaning over the front seat of the car about to give birth,” Ms Klamer said.
“I’ve birthed babies in lots in places as a midwife – in toilets, on the side of roads, in ambulances – but this one was arriving in a big rush.
“I asked my colleague Veronica to go and get a delivery kit and then I looked at Sibo, and could see the baby’s head was coming.
“I said to Sibo, ‘We’re going to have a baby very soon so slow your breathing down and push’.”
Ms Klamer said Mina arrived ‘in beautiful condition’ two pushes later. Mum and baby were put in a wheelchair and taken into the hospital where Mina was weighed at a healthy 3.27kg.
“After Mina was born, Sibo’s sister gave me the key to her car and asked me if I could move it out of the way because it was blocking the driveway,” she said.
“So, Veronica and I cleaned up the car and then parked it for them so they didn’t need to worry about it.”
Mrs Karimi said she and her sister Ivan were incredibly grateful to the midwives.
“Lisa put a sheet over the car to give me some privacy and Veronica jumped in the back seat to help support me,” she said.
“Lisa and Veronica's expertise and leadership gave me the confidence and courage to know if could do this and everything would be OK.
“I am beyond thankful for their support, compassion and expert knowledge. Mina and I were incredibly blessed. They were simply amazing and we will forever be grateful.”
