Mum-to-be's relaxing holiday ends in baby being delivered at Devon resort
Baby Indigo was born at Hawkchurch Resort and Spa - Credit: Hawkchurch/Contributed
A holiday in East Devon to help an expecting woman relax before the due date took a dramatic turn - when she ended up giving birth at the resort.
Almost everyone has a funny holiday story; missing luggage, ending up somewhere unexpected, even getting lost, but for this family, from Somerset, an unexpected arrival earlier this month has given them a memory far more rewarding than that.
Staying at the Hawkchurch Resort and Spa by Darwin Escapes, near Axminster, heavily pregnant Katie Fortt was seeking some much-needed R&R two weeks before her due date for the birth of her second child, only to awake in shock on the second morning of the holiday to find herself having contractions.
A rushed phone call to emergency services confirmed that the ambulance would be arriving too late, so Katie’s mother, Lisa, jumped into action, with the 999 operative talking her through the incredible process of delivering the baby.
Just a couple of hours later her new daughter – Indigo – was born, with the ambulance reaching the site shortly after, pleased to find mother and baby both well and healthy in their holiday lodge.
Little Indigo was born in a Hawkchurch lodge - Credit: Hawkchurch Resort & Spa
As regulars to the Hawkchurch resort, 30-year-old Katie, her husband, her first daughter and her parents, Lisa and Rob Vaughn, will now have an even stronger connection to the area, hoping to return next year on the anniversary of Indigo’s exciting, if nerve-racking birth.
"The staff were excellent," said Rob, Katie’s father, who also helped with the delivery.
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"The second we realised we would not be able to get Katie to Dorchester hospital, we phoned 999 and the operator talked my wife, Lisa through the process. We have been visiting Hawkchurch for more than six years so this just makes the place even more memorable.
"It’s certainly been an experience!"
The baby was born in a lodge at the Hawkchurch resort - Credit: Hawkchurch Resort & Spa
Carla Guppy, general manager at Hawkchurch Resort and Spa, said: "When we heard about the new arrival, we were absolutely thrilled, not least because it is the very first Hawkchurch site baby.
"The staff all did a fantastic job, and we were delighted to hear that both mother and baby are doing well and that the whole family will be continuing to visit us for their yearly holiday – we look forward to welcoming them again."
