A FATHER had to step in as an impromptu midwife to help deliver his son five weeks earlier than expected.

Robert Baker, 43, followed the instructions of the emergency services on his phone’s loudspeaker when his partner, Jadeelee Davies, 21, went into labour at her home at Ffynnon Court, Brynmawr on September 16.

Miss Davies, who suffers with chronic back pain, asked Mr Baker to buy painkillers for her on his way home from work at 5.45pm that evening after feeling a burning sensation.

With all the local pharmacies closed, and no suitable medication for pregnant women available, he joked that it was a good job his expecting partner was not about to go into labour.

However, by 6.30pm, Miss Davies was having trouble breathing so Mr Baker an ambulance. Within just 15 minutes, baby Aiden was born.

Miss Davies, who gave birth in her bedroom, said: “When we phoned them, the ambulance operator told us not to panic because my waters had not broke.

“They said that they would be 20 minutes tops, so Robert didn’t have time to panic. They were on speaker phone, so they talked him though it and we were telling them what we could see.

“My waters only broke when Aiden came out, so it was all very overwhelming. I had not even taken a paracetamol tablet as pain relief.”

The only complication the pair had to deal with was the fact that Aiden had wrapped the umbilical cord around himself when he was being delivered.

Mr Baker, who has been Miss Davies' partner for 18 months, said: “He’s a little fighter. I could see nothing was wrong, because he was kicking Jadeelee, but we couldn’t wipe his head.

“The cord was knotted in the middle and the operator told me to ease it rather than pulling it.

“It was only a while after that I realised I was the first person to ever hold him. It was really nice to hold him and then place him in Jadeelee’s arms.”

Paramedics arrived at Ffynnon Court 10 minutes after Aiden was born, at 6.55pm. Although five weeks premature, he weighed a relatively healthy 6lbs 5ozs.

Miss Davies added: “Thankfully, there was no need for an incubator at the hospital either. He was right beside me, so it was really good for bonding and feeding. All he needed were some overnight antibiotics and we were only in there for four days.

“Since we’ve come home, Aiden’s settled in well and has not needed to go back to hospital.”

Robert added: “It’s all been brilliant. We’ve not really got a routine at the moment and are just taking each day as it comes. But, I’m sure we’ll soon work out a shift pattern.”

Miss Davies has been a resident of the Ffynnon Court Move On Project - which supports people who are ready to move on from supported living schemes – for four months.

Both mum and Aiden are set to move in with Mr Baker to a renovated home in Blaenau Gwent after Christmas.