A mum told she could leave hospital because her baby was not expected for the best part of a day ended up giving birth in her car just minutes later.

Rebecca Slater had gone to The Birth Place at Medway Maritime Hospital last Friday at around 8.30am with partner Ben Hawkes.

But the pair – who already have two sons together, Aaron, two, and Oliver, one – were advised to return home as Rebecca was only 2cm dilated.

Expecting to have to wait at least a few hours, they made the 10 minute journey back home to Brown Street, Rainham, to pick up some money for the hospital car park and a few last minute baby bits from Tesco.

But as soon as they got there, it was clear the baby’s arrival was imminent.

“As soon as I got home I said to Ben, ‘I need to go back, now!’. Once I was in the car I knew I wasn’t going to make it to the hospital.” - Rebecca Slater

Rebecca, 27, said: “As soon as I got home I said to Ben, ‘I need to go back, now!’. Once I was in the car I knew I wasn’t going to make it to the hospital.”

During the second three-mile trip to the hospital, baby Alice Elizabeth Hakwes was born, weighing 7lbs 5oz.

Rebecca’s waters broke as they reached the Old Ash Tree pub in Rainham Road and her labour progressed at a speedy rate while Ben drove down Canterbury Street.

Rebecca was in the front passenger seat and caused more than a few curious glances from other motorists.

“Apparently there were a lot of people looking in the window when we stopped at traffic lights,” she said. “I was concentrating too hard to notice but Ben saw quite a few surprised faces from people in other cars.

“Obviously there was nothing they could do to help us, we just kept going.”

But the drama was not over as Alice, a week old today (Friday), was born with the umbilical cord around her neck.

“It was really, really scary. She wasn’t crying but she wasn’t blue so it couldn’t have been choking her for long. I just pulled it over her head. But she still wasn’t making any noise. I put her over my knee and tapped her back to clear her throat,” said Rebecca.

"It was really, really scary. She wasn’t crying. I put her over my knee and tapped her back to clear her throat. I don’t really know what made me react so quickly, instinct I suppose." - Rebecca

Meanwhile Ben, a site manager for a construction company, ran into the A&E department once they arrived and fetched staff to help.

“Ben had stayed really calm and was great. But he was definitely in shock, he looked white when he got out the car.”

The couple said they were not forced to leave The Birth Place after they went in initially, it was a recommendation.

Rebecca said: “I was a bit worried about leaving the hospital initially because although I was in labour for three days with my first child, with my second I almost didn’t get to the hospital in time. But I took their advice, thinking we would stay near to the hospital after picking up our cards in case it was fast - but we didn’t get the chance.

“The midwives were really apologetic when we arrived back and everyone was very kind.”