Six-year-old helps mother deliver

Francesca Goodby with baby sister Roisin [Photo:Daily Mail]

A six-year-old girl delivered her own sister when she was woken up by her mother who had gone labour on the bathroom floor at home - thanks to watching an episode of BBC drama Casualty. She helped her panicking mother to breathe, encouraging her to push and fetched clean towels.

Francesca Goodby calmly talked her mother Kay, 28, through the sudden birth after her waters broke in Bearwood, West Midlands - while her father Michael, 33, was calling 999.

She helped her panicking mother with her breathing, encouraging her to push, fetched her clean towels and even made sure the umbilical cord was not wrapped around the baby’s head.

Francesca leapt into action in July after recalling an episode of Casualty when a woman suddenly went into labour. After 12 minutes of pushing, 6lbs 8oz baby Roisin had been delivered.

The schoolgirl said: ‘I had to keep mummy calm. I didn’t want the cord to be wrapped around her neck because she might have died and I held her when she was born to keep her safe.

‘I don’t know how I knew about it but I do watch Casualty and like it a lot. My friends at school all said “wow” and my teacher was really impressed with me.'

When two ambulances arrived, paramedics were stunned to find Francesca - who wants to be a doctor when she is older - holding her newborn sister after carefully wrapping her in a towel.

Shop assistant Mrs Goodby said yesterday: ‘I was so impressed with Francesca. She was remarkably cool and collected for a six-year-old.

'She had gone to bed but woke up when I started screaming.

‘She came in and was like “mummy are you okay?” and said “I can see the head”. She was keeping me calm and telling me where to put my hands and telling me to keep breathing.

-Adapted from Daily Mail