Baby Born at JET Station!

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Medomsley local, Stephanie Richardson, made the headlines after she gave birth on a JET forecourt in October 2021. We caught up with the new mum to hear her story firsthand....

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Tell us what happened?

In early October, I was due to be induced. I woke up at 3.30am the morning before I was due to go in, woke up my partner and we gathered our kids and dashed off to hospital in our pick-up truck. 40 minutes later, we had to pull over into JET Parklands Service Station which is on route to the hospital and within seconds Lucy was born. It was pitch black and the forecourt was closed so it was pretty scary!

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How was the birth?

It all happened very quickly. We’d picked our good friend up along the way to help - she’s a midwife living locally. She helped deliver Lucy by torchlight. It wasn’t a straightforward birth as her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck at one point, but we got there in the end and she safely delivered a beautiful baby girl. We then went to hospital (University Hospital of North Durham) in less of a rush than earlier in the morning!

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You’ve received a lot of media attention we hear. How has that been?

After the birth the phone did not stop ringing with journalists calling for interviews. We’ve been featured in The Sun, Metro, The Daily Star and lots of regional newspapers. I joke that I’ve become somewhat of a local celebrity and for the most unlikely of reasons! We went to a restaurant just the other week and they gave us free drinks on the house. I could get used to this!

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And how did your partner Matthew react?

You can see he was worried but he stayed very cool and calm throughout it all. I couldn't have got through it without him, he's just amazing.  

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How have your other kids reacted?

They’re just excited to get to know the new arrival. We’re enjoying the calm after the storm! And we all love the new JET babygrow - thanks for that!

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