From delivering campaigns to delivering babies…

Managing Director Graham Sykes is used to delivering successful marketing campaigns but in the early hours of Tuesday 4th June, he was forced to deliver his new born baby daughter Verity Alice.

Finance Manager, Wife Kate, started to have contractions at around 1.30am but with a 10 minute gap between them, the maternity unit at Calderdale General recommended staying at home until they decreased to 3-4 minutes. "Get Kate to have a bath, take some paracatamols and give us a call in a couple of hours" they said.

Within ten minutes and two contractions later, Kate was yelling from the bathroom: "I can feel the head!"

The hospital was called again, but with no time to dispatch either midwives or an ambulance, a towel was laid out on the floor, and the maternity unit put on speakerphone. Following instructions over the telephone, the two delivered their own baby at 4.10am, weighing 9lb 4oz.

After five minutes of stunned disbelief the ambulance and paramedics were at the house and five minutes after that the midwives arrived to take over and ensure that mum, baby and in-shock dad were okay, which thankfully everyone was.

With Kate on maternity leave, Graham is now enjoying a few days paternity leave, before the CIH Conference in Harrogate.