Mum gives birth to baby Katie in toilet of city petrol station

Baby Katie made her entrance in the restroom of a Topaz station in Rush, just beside the M1 motorway.

Beaming dad Thomas Donnery said that it was a sudden turn of events that led to the birth of his beautiful baby girl in a filling station toilet.

His partner Amy Balfe (28) was due to give birth and was at 40 weeks when she was preparing to go into the hospital.

"We were at home in Rush, Co Dublin," Thomas explained. "She started getting pains around 8.30pm on Thursday night. So we were driving to the Rotunda and we were just about to go onto the M1.

adrenaline

"We were passing by the Topaz garage and Amy asked if we could please stop, she needed to go to the toilet and she couldn't go any further."

But Thomas had no idea how close she was to giving birth once they got inside the petrol station.

"When she went in to the loo, she shouted at me that she couldn't move from there," he told the Herald.

"I had left my phone in the car, so I ran out the front to the counter and asked the guy if I could use his phone to call an ambulance.

"By the time I came back into the cubicle, she had delivered the baby."

"My girlfriend was sitting on the toilet seat with the baby in her hands."

Thomas, who is an electrician, stayed on the phone to paramedics while they waited for the ambulance.

"Talk about a dramatic hour. There were just two pushes and she was there.

"To be put into a situation like that, the adrenaline kicks in," he said.

And in another twist -- the petrol station is the very same one where Amy had her first job.

"The strangest thing was that Amy had worked there for four years," he said. "The baby is fine and there's not a bother on Amy. She is a bit sore but mainly she's still in shock. She still can't believe what happened."

Accountant Amy's other daughter Ellie (4) is now patiently waiting to see her new baby sister.

Proud grandmother Margaret Donnery said that the family were delighted that baby and mum were both doing well after the drama.

And the incredible tale has fuelled intense speculation about an appropriate baby's name.

"At 7lb 13oz, she's perfect and healthy.

"They're going to call her Katie but some of the family said they should call her Katie Topaz!" she joked.

clairemurphy@herald.ie