Rachel Kiser
Blogger | Mom of Two
If ever there was a time to think inward thoughts, thoughts about your own well-being and the task you have at hand, it may be right as you’re about to bring your child into the world.
On the other hand, Dr. Amanda Hess, a doctor in Kentucky, apparently doesn’t think so.
Last Sunday evening, Dr. Hess lay in her hospital room, clad in an open-backed gown and preparing to begin her own induction process to birth her daughter. Her husband happened to notice the screams of a woman just down the hall, though, shortly before their procedure was due to start. When Dr. Hess hopped on the hospital’s computer system, she noticed that there was a woman facing labor complications, and whose baby was in distress.
Halliday Johnson, the laboring mother, was indeed struggling. She was fully dilated and needed her doctor as soon as possible. Unfortunately, her obstetrician was on his way back from a break, and it appeared as though he wouldn’t make it in time. According to Lexington’s WKYT, Hess knew the baby needed to be delivered immediately.
“I just put on another gown to cover up my backside and put on some boots over my shoes… and went down to her room and I knew her” she told the outlet.
Dr. Hess had seen Johnson just days before at a check up, but wasn’t her regular obstetrician. It would seem to be a series of very fortunate events that led the two women to meet again, with a level of comfort established.
When Dr. Hess walked in the room, it never occurred to Halliday that she wasn’t there solely to deliver her baby. “She was definitely in doctor mode,” Halliday Johnson told WLEX-18. “My husband noticed something was going on because she had on a hospital gown, but I didn’t notice that because I was on the delivery table. I was in my own world there.”
Just after Dr. Hess saved the day and brought the littlest Johnson into the world, she returned to her own room where her induction began and was completed with the birth of her daughter, who she named Ellen Joyce.
Women are truly amazing. Even on the brink of a major life change and milestone, they are capable of putting themselves in the place of other, also vulnerable, women. We know you’re going to make an amazing mother, Amanda Hess, just as you’re obviously a great physician.
Congratulations to both families!
About Rachel Kiser
Rachel is a wife and mother living in Raleigh, North Carolina. She’s a fan of good coffee, wearer of gray t-shirts, and is constantly starting books she will never finish. Her family is her joy, and she loves to engage with other moms and dads on matters of parenting. Her blog posts have also been featured on the Today Show Parenting Blog and Scary Mommy.
View all posts by Rachel Kiser here.
18 Comments on “Pregnant Doctor Delivers a Baby Right Before Birthing Her Own”
Oh my!!!! That’s amazing! Strong woman!
Wow…that’s cool
what a dedicated doctor – i wish my ob/gyn was as caring as her – i stuck with a doctor that was rude just because i wanted all four of my kids delivered by the same person, but knowing there are doctors out there like this really makes me regret my decision!
We are sorry to hear that.
I saw this story the other day and am still in awe. I can’t imagine being in active labor and having the strength to go deliver someone else’s baby.
Congratulations to both families!
What an incredible doctor!! So glad both babies are okay and mom’s too! Yes mom’s are amazing! Women are amazing!
What an incredible story! Thanks for sharing!
What an amazing story,thanks so much for sharing it with us.
That’s an awesome story! Love sweet babies! I see some play dates in the future for there sweet babies!
We hope so!
That is an amazing story! Some people love/care about what they do for a living and don’t see it as a job! She deserves an award!
We are firm believers in loving what you do!
She sounds like she’s going to be an amazing mom. I’m glad she was able to the Johnson family. Things could’ve been tragic if she wasn’t there. I’m sure that’s a story that will be told for generations.
We agree and hope it is shared for many years!
That’s a doctor I wished I had,many years ago! Their are truly people out their that really care!
What a happy story to a rare and complicated situation.
Pretty incredible!