Father forced to use face mask to tie umbilical cord after mother gives birth on hospital pavement

'I see a third of the top of my new son's head so I was like, "Oh my gosh. This is really happening."'

A Kentucky father was forced to use a face mask to tie off his newborn's umbilical cord after his wife gave birth on the pavement outside a hospital's front door.

Sarah Patrick gave birth to her third child on the morning of 9 May after a chaotic and unlikely delivery, according to a report.

According to the couple, they set off for the Baptist Health Louisville hospital after Ms Patrick started having contractions, but when they arrived they were surprised to find the hospital doors locked.

“We had no idea why, and it was probably 30 or 40 degrees out,” Mr Partick told The Louisville Courier Journal.

“We're in the middle of the street, and she can't move,” he told the newspaper. “She nearly collapses in front of the labour and delivery sign.”

Upon realising that his wife was close to giving birth, Mr Patrick called 911 and was given instructions to deliver the baby on the hospital pavement while the couple waited for an ambulance.

“I put my phone speaker and set it down. My wife is screaming. ... 'He's coming! He's coming!'” Mr Patrick told the outlet.

“I suddenly see about a third of the top of my new son's head so I was like, 'Oh my gosh. This is really happening.'”

The couple then successfully delivered the baby and Mr Patrick was directed to find something to bind the umbilical cord,

With few resources to hand, Mr Patrick was forced to use a homemade Covid-19 facemask made by their grandmother to help bind the cord.

“Congratulations, you did wonderful,” the 911 dispatcher told Mr Patrick following the delivery, according to The Journal.

Ms Patrick and her newborn were then taken into the hospital on a stretcher and helped to recover from the ordeal.

The father added that the couple had no hard feelings in regards to being unable to enter the hospital. According to Mr Patrick, the hospital apologised for the ordeal and explain how Baptist would learn from the experience and improve in the future.

The couple has named their healthy 6 pounds, 13 ounces newborn Navi Bond Patrick.

Both mother and child have since been released from hospital and are now back at home with their other two children and the rest of their family, the report said.

“Everybody's happy. Everybody's healthy,” Mr Patrick confirmed to the newspaper. “We thought we had planned for everything, but obviously there were a couple little holes in the plan.”