A DAD kept his cool as he delivered his baby daughter in the back of a taxi.

Andy McGovern, from Lewes, called a taxi when his wife, Luci’s waters broke unexpectedly.

They raced to the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath. But not long into the journey, they realised they might not make it in time.

Taxi driver Gina Marshall, 43, from Lewes, put her foot down but with just a few miles to go, the couple’s second child, Freya, made her appearance.

Mr McGovern, 31, said: “It was such a surprise and it all happened so quickly while we were in the taxi.

“My wife was in labour for two and a half hours leading up to the birth of our daughter.

“I also had to deliver our first born child but I was not expecting to have to do it again. Especially not in a taxi.”

On arrival taxi driver Ms Marshall rushed into A&E and told staff what had happened. Doctors thought she was joking but sure enough found Andy and Luci with baby Freya in the back seat.

She weighed only 4lb 14oz having arrived three weeks early.

Ms Marshall said: “My initial reaction was to panic but it was such an amazing experience to see how brilliant the parents were.

“I was trying to say that the mother should breathe deeply in and out when the baby was about to be born.

“I tried my best to get us all to the hospital in time for the child to be delivered but we just didn’t make it.

“Luckily we were only a few minutes away when they both had to deliver the baby.

“The hospital staff were great and offered help as soon as they found out what had happened.”

Mr McGovern said: “Although the taxi driver seemed shocked at first, she soon rushed to our aid and did all she could to get Freya into the care of hospital nurses.”

Both Andy and Luci are junior doctors. However, Andy has only had to deliver a baby on a handful of occasions as part of his role in hospital.