Doctor delivers patient's baby, then delivers her own

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Monday, July 31, 2017
Doctor delivers patient's baby, then delivers her own
A very dedicated doctor who was in labor with her own baby went down the hall at the hospital to help another woman deliver first. Then, moments later, she gave birth herself.

A very dedicated doctor who was in labor with her own baby went down the hall at the hospital to help another woman deliver first. Then, she gave birth herself.

Dr. Amanda Hess is now counting her blessings and marveling in the birth of her sweet little girl Ellen Joyce.

But as the OB-GYN was preparing to give birth herself, just down the hall, she heard screams from a woman in labor. "My husband actually said, 'Is that a woman screaming?' and she was completely dilated," Hess said.

With the on-call doctor still on his way, Hess jumped into action.

She recognized the patient, Leah Halliday Johnson, as she'd seen her just days before.

"So I just put on another gown to help cover up my backside and put on some boots over my shoes to keep getting any fluid and all that stuff on me and went down to her room, and I knew her," Hess said.

She says Johnson's baby was ready for her big debut and mom was happy to be able to start pushing.

"I love doing what I do, I love taking care of mothers and babies, and really most doctors are thinking of their patients, even when they're a patient themselves," Johnson said.

Just moments after jumping in as the stand-in physician, Dr. Hess returned to her room and gave birth to her brand-new bundle of joy.

"Bringing life into the world is one of the most amazing things that you get to be a part of and get to share," Johnson said.