GIVING birth in the back of an ambulance is a frightening prospect for any expectant mother.

But Sarah Croxton feared the worst when her baby son was born in an ambulance in a car park at Maidstone Hospital after she had suffered serious complications during her labour.

So she will be eternally grateful to the ambulance crew who ensured that baby James defied the odds to arrive safe and well.

The paramedics had prepared themselves to deliver a stillborn child after Sarah, 28, went into labour at her home in Melville Road, Maidstone.

The baby’s father, Lloyd, a mechanic, was at work so her daughter, Tamie, 10, dialled 999.

When paramedics Paul Abdey, 39, and Andy Peach arrived they were facing an emergency.

Paul said: “We found there was a prolapsed cord - the cord had detached itself from Sarah and was wrapped around the baby, cutting off the oxygen and food supply.”

The baby was also in the breech position, coming feet first, and there were additional complications.

The paramedicas moved Sarah onto all fours and Paul had to physically prevent the baby being born immediately.

Sarah said: “At first I thought it was normal, I thought I was going to give birth on the floor. Then I heard the words prolapsed cord and realised something was wrong.

“The ambulance man kept saying 'Don’t worry, Sarah, you are doing fine', but I was really starting to panic.”

Meanwhile Sarah’s mother, Jean, and brother, Mark, arrived from Headcorn to look after Tamie and her younger sister, Chloe, and a second team of paramedics, Simon Herrick and Gemma Hudson, arrived to help.

The four ambulance staff and Mark carried Sarah to the ambulance.

Andy drove it to Maidstone Hospital with Paul and Simon in the back with Sarah.

She said: “It seemed to take forever to get there but in reality I think it was quite quick.

“I just remember rocking all over the place as they couldn’t strap me in because I was on all fours.”

They were just seconds from the hospital when the baby decided it could wait no longer.

Sarah said: “Just as we pulled into the car park I pushed and he started coming.”

Paul, from Shepway, said: “I saw the buttocks coming out and thought I have got to do this before he dies, if he wasn’t already dead.

“Then this lifeless body flopped out onto the stretcher.”

Sarah said: “I could hear nothing, there was no crying. I just kept shouting what is going on.”

Paul gave the baby a vigorous body massage, and then, in a moment of absolute relief for both mum and paramedics, James, who weighed 7lbs 6oz, let out a tiny cry.

Only 36 minutes had passed since the crew arrived at Sarah’s home but it seemed like a lifetime.

Paul, who has never faced a similar situation in 15 years as a paramedic, opened the ambulance doors to find eight hospital staff waiting to rush Sarah in for an emergency Caesarean section.

He said: “The midwife said “you have done a marvellous job for both of them to have survived”.

“Things like this just make it all worth while, all the training and practise, and seeing how well the team worked together.”

Sarah said: “ When I think about what could have happened it just scares me to death but on the other hand I am just so grateful and thankful to everyone involved it turned out OK."

One person was missing from the drama, James’s dad. As Sarah lay recovering in bed in Maidstone Hospital, Lloyd rushed in.

Sarah said: “At first he didn’t realise James had actually been born, he was stroking my head and saying it will be OK so I said “look down” and the he saw the baby. He was just in complete shock.”