New mum, Natali with Alyah Michelle and grandmother Michelle Van Deelan.By NICOLE WILLIAMS
NOT many grandmothers can say they delivered their own grandchild – but Michelle Van Deelan is not most grandmothers.
The Kooweerup resident responded to a call from her daughter Natali Murray just before 1.15am on Tuesday morning and within 15 minutes, she was holding her newest grand-daughter – and namesake – Alyah Michelle on her daughter’s bedroom floor in Tooradin.
“It was all done in eight minutes. It all happened really quickly,” she said.
“I still can’t believe I actually delivered my beautiful grand-daughter, it’s something that will never leave me.”
Ms Murray rang her mum with mild back pain, unsure if she was in labour, and was with her father-in-law Gary when Ms Van Deelan arrived 10 minutes later.
“Gary was coming to watch the other two children and when I got there he raced out and said turn the car off, she is pushing!” Ms Van Deelan said.
“I just went into autopilot and raced in to the bedroom and she was on the floor. I grabbed the phone and the lady (from Triple Zero) asked if I could see the baby’s head and everything just went from there.”
“I didn’t have much time to think about it.”
The ambulance arrived 15 minutes later and Ms Murray and Alyah were taken to hospital for a check-up but are doing well.
Ms Murray was five days overdue and had farewelled her husband Trent only 15 hours earlier when he flew back to Perth to work in the mines.
“His company had sent him home the week she was due, but the baby decided otherwise and he had to fly back on Monday morning,” Ms Van Deelan said.
“If he had been there, it would have been a side-of-the-road delivery. They wouldn’t have made it to the hospital.”
It was the couple’s third child and Ms Van Deelan’s seventh grandchild.
