Granny helps woman give birth in public park

A grandmother's quick walk with her dog through a park in western Sweden took longer than expected last week after she stopped to help another woman give birth in the grass.

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Kirsi Pulkkinen set out with her 4-year-old grandson Lucas to take a short walk with her dog through a park in Limmared in Västergötland, the local Borås Tidning (BT) newspaper reported.

When the trio arrived at the park they stumbled across a woman who signaled frantically to Pulkkinen to follow her to a young woman who was down on the ground on her hands and knees.

Pulkkinen recognised the woman on all fours, having met her previously and seeing she was heavily pregnant.

“'She's giving birth!' I thought,” Pulkkinen told the newspaper.

After explaining to the women that she was going to get help, Pulkkinen rushed off to a nearby care centre where she worked, with her dog and grandson Lucas in tow.

“Yeah, you ran so fast,” said Lucas, who was forced to pedal after his grandmother as fast as he could.

From her workplace, Pulkkinen called for an ambulance and fetched some mattresses and blankets which she then took back to the park.

“Then I caught the baby,” she told BT.

She then laid the newborn boy on the new mother's chest. But the baby had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and was somewhat listless, Pulkkinen recalled.

Pulkkinen then did her best to remove the cord and proceeded to give the newborn a massage – and soon thereafter the little boy could breath on his own and began to scream.

“What joy and relief,” said Pulkkinen.

“The little guy will always have a place in my heart.”

The mother and child were later taken to hospital where Pulkkinen has since visited them.

“I wanted to make sure they were okay,” she said.