By Taylah Eastwell
Many minds wonder what happens if you are pulled over while speeding to the hospital in labour, but for little Bonnie Petersen and her parents, that exact question will prompt one of the greatest 21st birthday stories imaginable.
When Jenae Petersen’s waters broke around 11.25pm on Saturday 14 August, her husband Paul knew he didn’t have time to waste. Ms Petersen had a history of short labours with their two young sons, and Paul wasn’t taking any chances on a last minute roadside birth.
After the couple frantically called Ms Petersen’s sister-in-law to come and watch their boys, they piled into the car and left their Mooroolbark home for the Angliss Hospital in Upper Ferntree Gully.
“When my waters broke that was the first sign of labour and that was when the contractions started between four and five minutes apart,” Ms Petersen said.
“I went into labour pretty much straight away. We got into the car and realised we needed petrol, so we chucked some petrol in but by the time we got from Manchester Road to just before the basketball stadiums on Liverpool Road I had completely changed. I couldn’t talk, I was in full blown labour, so my husband started speeding,” she said.
The distressed couple were doing their best to make it to the hospital, with little Bonnie in a rush to enter the world, when they noticed the dreaded blue and red flashing lights in their rear-view mirror.
“We saw the coppers chuck a u-turn behind us. We kept going, not as fast, but they pulled us over and my husband jumped out and said ‘my wife is in labour I’ve got to get her to hospital’,” Ms Petersen explained.
“They shone their torch in and had one look at me and just said ‘Angliss? Follow us’,” she said.
By this stage, Ms Petersen’s mind was preoccupied, but being pulled over by police while in the pointy-end of labour during the Covid-19 pandemic where the pair were not meant to be outside of their 5km radius made an incredibly stressful situation all the more intense.
But the two Mooroolbark officers were quick to act, with Senior Constable David Grey and Constable Jason Lloyd-Sanderson jumping back in their police car and escorting the couple – at a slight speed – through Kilsyth, The Basin and Ferntree Gully until they reached the Angliss.
“There were no questions asked, they just took off and said follow us,” Ms Petersen said.
“My husband is happy he got his Fast and Furious moment down Forest Road,” she laughed.
Husband Paul said he probably passed a total of five other cars the whole trip.
“We pulled up straight outside the door where my second support person was waiting and she grabbed the wheelchair after seeing how full on I was,” Ms Petersen said.
While Paul moved the car from the ambulance park, the two police officers picked up Ms Petersen’s bags and walked her in to the elevator before saying their goodbyes and good-lucks.
Once up in the maternity ward, Ms Petersen made it onto the bed before Paul caught up with her after parking the car.
“He helped me onto the bed and I literally rolled on my side and she was head out. The nurses were saying ‘you can relax, you’re here, you made it to hospital, just relax’. Her head came out and with a little push during my next contraction she was here,” Ms Petersen said.
After arriving at the hospital with the police escort, it only took Bonnie seven minutes to enter the world – with Ms Petersen only in the birthing room for mere minutes.
“We made the phonecall to my second support person, who was my photographer, twelve minutes before her birth time when we were still on Burwood Highway. Her birth summary paperwork says I was in labour for five minutes,” she said.
Bonnie was born at 12.35am on 15 August.
“I always said to my husband my biggest fear was birthing on the side of the road or in the car, I didn’t want to and I was scared it would happen during the day and I’d be alone. I’m so glad it happened in the middle of the night and he was there.
Ms Petersen spoke to Senior Constable Grey the following day to say thank you and had her call returned by him shortly afterwards.
“He said he knew something was up as soon as Paul opened the door when they pulled us over because you don’t get out of the car when police pull you over,” she said.
“He has got kids himself and he knew sometimes you just have to do what you have to do,” she said.
But the two officers were left shocked at just how quickly Bonnie entered the world, telling Ms Petersen they thought she was “easily an hour off”.
“I wouldn’t have made it to the hospital without them. We can’t praise them enough,” she said.
A spokesperson from Mooroolbark Police confirmed the officers escorted a driver after intercepting him for driving quickly as the wife had a history of short labours.
