A FATHER was surprised to find himself delivering his new baby in his living room.

Robin Edrenius said he and his partner Kat thought they were going to have “plenty of time” before the baby came after Kat’s waters broke at about 6.30am on Thursday morning.

The 32-year-old who lives in Stonecross near Eastbourne said: “We already have a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Leia, so we’ve been through it all before.

“We called the hospital after her waters broke and they said to wait for two hours and to only come in before then if the pain was too bad.

“It’s normally 14 hours or so after the waters break before the baby comes, but all of a sudden it really escalated and she was on all fours.”

Robin called for an ambulance but while he was on the phone he said he could “see a head”.

He said: “All of a sudden the baby just came out. I asked what to do on the phone and they said to rub her with a towel, and she was gurgling and crying.

“It was just so quick. I didn’t expect to be delivering a baby that day, or ever – and I didn’t expect to have a new child until the evening.”

Shortly after Robin and Kat’s new daughter was born, paramedics arrived.

Robin said: “They made sure everything was all right and let me cut the cord. Only mum and baby went into hospital afterwards to the maternity ward because of the current situation.”

Robin said the coronavirus outbreak had been a concern and he had been apprehensive about the birth of his child in hospital.

He said: “It was niggling in my mind that we would have to go into hospital, which is where you’re more likely to catch it, so in a way it was the best thing to have happened and very lucky she was born at home.

“Kat is tired but I think if that’s the only issue we’ve got, it’s a good sign.”

Kat’s stepfather Matthew Layzell was also present for the birth of his granddaughter, who is named Heidi Astrid.

The 51-year-old from Ringmer said: “I only came over as I was going to look after Leia while they had the baby, but I came into the room in the middle of it, so we had to have a Plan B.

“Kat had a brilliant birthing team and it was Danny from the South East Coast Ambulance Service who has been living in a campervan so he can carry on working, who arrived to help afterwards. I’m absolutely over the moon.”