Melbourne mum gives birth on floor in front of busy maternity hospital lifts

If you felt like a bit of a sideshow when you gave birth to your baby, spare a thought for legend mum Julie Ann Longano.

When you gotta go, you gotta go

The mum-of-two made it to the hospital as her one-minute-apart contractions got super serious. She did not, however, make it to the delivery room. Or to the maternity ward. Or even into the lift.

Julie Ann gave birth in front of the busy lifts at Melbourne’s Epworth Freemason’s Hospital with some help from a couple of brilliant midwives and her obstetrician who arrived just in the nick of time.

As baby Anderson’s head emerged, Dr Grant Saffer guided the tiny boy out into the world. Keep in mind that as all this was happening, Julie Ann was bracing herself in front of the lifts.

With visiting hours at the hospital about to finish, the lift transported a stream of people to Julie Ann’s level, only to be met by a woman in the full throes of birth. (And a tiny bit later, the slightly untidy sight of a freshly delivery bub.)

“You don’t expect the lift to open and see a woman with a head popped out,” Julie Ann laughed as she spoke to 7News.

“There’s nothing you can do. You’ve just got to have the baby then and there,” Dr Saffer told 7News.

“I’ve stuffed this up”

Julie Ann is taking the whole thing in her stride, laughingly admitted she may have “stuffed it up” by leaving for the hospital a little too late.

“My eyes were bulging out of my head and I remember thinking, ‘I’ve stuffed this up’,” she said explaining she’d crawled to the car on her hands and knees.

No matter though because she’s now got a brilliant birth story to tell, and baby Anderson is as healthy and happy as a baby could be.

The whole exciting episode was caught on CCTV and you can watch it below.

“That’s very special to have that moment captured,” Julie Ann said.

A huge congratulations, Julie Ann and Trent!