real life

Mum and bub doing well. And so is their 9-year-old midwife

If you need further proof of the benefits of allowing your child to watch large amounts of television, here it is.

A 9-year-old girl has helped deliver her baby sister after learning how from watching TV. The Chicago girl had to step in when her mother went into early labour at home.

Alyssa Meza saw that her mum Monique Meza’s water had broken while she was sleeping and woke her up, telling her, “Mom, your water broke”. There was no time to waste. When she looked between her mother’s legs she could already see her baby sister’s head.

“I told her hold on I’ll catch the baby.”

Alyssa then realised something was wrong. Her sister was purple, with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. She carefully removed the cord from around her baby sister’s neck, wrapped her in a towel and fetched some scissors and thread. She then asked their neighbour for some help and together they cut the umbilical cord. The neighbour also called 911.

Baby Aaliyah is in perfect health, thanks to her big sister and is back home, enjoying all the attention her birth has attracted.

“She’s my super hero, she’s my super girl,” Mrs Meza told the US Today show.

Allyssa says she’d like to become a paramedic one day. She’s certainly cut out for it.

Do you have a birth story that tops that?

Images courtesy of US Today show