Baby name inspired by Black Country tower lift birth
Little Ella Yeomans has no idea of her dramatic arrival into the world after she was born in a lift that had got stuck in a Black Country tower block.
Mother Mel Cavanagh was on her way to hospital after going into labour when she, her partner Paul Yeomans and three paramedics got stuck in the lift at St Giles Court in Rowley Regis.
And as the five were stuck for around 45 minutes on Friday, the youngster was delivered in the cramped room, while her parents have now named her Ella – in honour of her birth in an elevator.
Paul said the name Ella 'just fits' and added: "She will have a story to tell."
And the couple, who already have two daughters, Leah, aged four and Tegan, 11 months, said they also intend on making Ella's middle name Nicola, in honour of paramedic Nicola Wildman who supported Mel through the birth.
Full-time mother Mel, aged 23, was 39 weeks pregnant and started having labour pains at the flat in Reservoir Road just after 9am on Friday.
"The pain was getting really bad and I knew she wasn't going to be long," she said.
She called partner Paul, 25, who left his job in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham and rushed home on a train.
"We all got into the lift – the five of us – on the ninth floor," he said. "We pressed 'ground' and then one of the paramedics noticed that the lift wasn't moving. The fire service were there within minutes and the paramedics were talking Mel through what to do. Mel felt the urge to push and it all happened so quickly." Ella was born at 1.58pm on July 5 weighing 6lbs 1oz.
Mother Mel, said: "The paramedics were amazing, talking me through everything – I don't know how I would have got through it,. It's just lucky that we called the ambulance in the first place."
