by Nick Evans

Baby Sophie had a dramatic arrival into the world when she was born on her mother's bathroom floor.

Mum Leona Fox, 23, thought the contractions she was having were practice ones as the baby wasn't due for another four days.

Leona, and her partner Christopher Bennett, who live in Galway Road, Sheerness, were about to set off for Medway Maritime Hospital in the early hours of August 5 when she had another heavy contraction and decided to dash upstairs to the bathroom.

Leona said: "I had been having what I thought were practice contractions for 90 minutes while in bed and I had breathed through them all. When they started coming faster, Chris phoned the hospital and my mum and dad.

"They were around in five minutes to be ready to look after my son Luke who is nearly three - that five minutes seemed like forever.

"I was on the doorstep ready to go with my bag packed when I decided I had to go to the bathroom. Chris then called the ambulance service and their fast response man was with us very quickly.

"He delivered Sophie on the bathroom floor at 3.29am. My waters hadn't broken so Sophie was born a water baby, which is a sign of good luck."

The couple's bathroom is small so there was only just enough space for Leona and the fast response man, while Chris had to stand in the doorway.

Leona's mum Denise cut Sophie's umbilical cord afterwards. She was weighed later at a healthy 7lbs 2ozs.

"Because everything happened so fast and so early, it seemed a long day after that and we were in shock and surprise for hours afterwards and she's none the worse for her dramatic arrival," added Leona.