Baby drama as Wigan couple welcome newborn son in car park at KFC

Rebecca Harcourt and Joshua Olagoke were rushing to hospital for the birth of their second son, but pulled into the car park of KFC at Ince when it became clear they would not get there in time.

And it was there that baby Theo was born, weighing 6lb 11oz.

Rebecca, 27, said: “I was in shock. It happened so quickly, it was just crazy. He couldn’t wait to come out.”

The Hindley couple were certainly not expecting such a quick delivery, as Rebecca was in labour for seven hours with their four-year-old, Joshua.

It was still 12 days until baby Theo was due and Rebecca thought the pains she had been suffering for around a week were Braxton Hicks contractions.

“They kept coming and going and kept fizzling out, so I didn’t thinking anything of it,” she said.

“That morning I thought they were Braxton Hicks because they weren’t strong pains like contractions. I didn’t expect to be in labour.

“It was nothing like the last labour. This time was miles easier.”

Rebecca, who works in a care home, took her son to school and phoned triage at the hospital, who advised she have a bath and take paracetamol.

But when the pains did not go away, she phoned fiance Joshua, who was working in sales in Warrington, and asked him to come home so she could get checked at the hospital.

A colleague drove Joshua to his house and collected Rebecca, before all three of them set off for Wigan Infirmary.

But Rebecca said: “We set off in the car but I was pushing at Ince Park and traffic was standstill on both sides, so we had to ring an ambulance. We ended up pulling into the KFC car park.”

Joshua, 31, got a towel out of Rebecca’s suitcase in the car boot and placed it on the back seat as the labour continued.

Rebecca said: “He was crowning in my partner’s hands.

“The ambulance came and they got me on the stretcher. I had just got into the ambulance when he came.”

Fortunately baby Theo was healthy when he arrived at 11.25am, but his proud dad missed his arrival as he was just outside the ambulance in the car park.

His dramatic arrival came as a real shock for Rebecca.

She said: “I just kept saying I couldn’t have a baby in the car. It was so quick but it just happened.”

The ambulance then took Rebecca and Theo to the hospital, where they spent six hours so they could be checked, before going home that same day.

They are now settling into life as a family of four after Theo’s unusual start to life.

“We laugh about it now,” Rebecca said.

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