Girl helps deliver her own baby sister when her mom goes into labor early
A 6-year-old girl stepped in when her mother went into early labor, helping deliver her baby sister before paramedics arrived. As reported by KSAZ Fox 10, Canisha Owens’ baby was not due for another two months, so she was surprised when she felt labor pains on Sunday morning. Fortunately, her daughter Janeicea Armstrong was there by her side to help.
"She heard me screaming, so she woke up and she came in the bathroom, and we just hugged each other. She was praying. She was like, “It’s okay Mommy, breathe,’" Owens recalled. The pregnant mom called 911, but the pain left her unable to speak to the operator. She handed the phone over to her daughter who listened to instructions from the emergency operator. Janeicea told KSAZ, “I just wanted to help my momma with the baby, so I just wanted to help really."
"She talked to them while I was pushing, and before I know it, the baby is coming out. I looked down, I seen her head, and I took a deep breathe in and pushed real hard. And then her body started to come, and I grabbed her, and picked her up, and then took the umbilical cord from around her neck," Owens recounted. "When I first saw the baby coming out it was weird,” Janeicea said honestly.
When the 911 operator told Janeicea to find string to tie around the baby’s umbilical cord, the first grader was able to improvise. "I just couldn't find no more string, so I just got it from the couch," Janeicea said. "I tried to tie it, but it wouldn't work. It was too, it was too yucky. I could even do it." Mom assisted and a few minutes later the family was taken to the hospital. The 6-year-old was apparently unshaken by the emergency and her mother said, "I heard her in the ambulance in the front seat singing."
The newest member of the family was born healthy and weighed 3.5 pounds.
Despite her commendable help with the birth of her sister, Janeicea told the station that her future career plans do not include delivering babies, "I do want to be a doctor when I grow up, so maybe not that kind of doctor."
Video and more info: KSAZ
