Pontypool couple praise call handler who helped deliver their son

Angie Belli, 33, and her husband Ben, 38, from Pontnewynydd, Pontypool, had their second child Eddie at home and have praised the help of the 999 call handler. 

The couple had started to plan ahead, but by 3am on October 27, it became clear that their son was coming, before things progressed even further by 3.57am, making a hospital visit impossible. 

Ben called for an ambulance and was connected with Robyn Webber who helped to deliver their son Eddie at 4.09am. 

Call handler Robyn has been praised for her pivotal role in delivering baby Eddie with the parents describing her as excellent (Image: Welsh Ambulance Service) Ben said Robyn had been "excellent": "She helped keep me and Angie really calm while she relayed instructions to us over the phone.

“There were a couple of moments where I really started to get flustered, but she was always there, talking me through each step and reassuring me that help was on its way.”

Robyn Webber, 33, has been a call handler for two years and noted that home births can be the "most difficult calls" as so many "different things can go wrong". 

She also passed on her congratulations to the family: “Congratulations to Angie, Ben, Millie and baby Eddie, I’m so happy for all of them.”

Angie and Ben Belli (pictured with children Millie and Eddie) have heaped praise on call handler Robyn (Image: Welsh Ambulance Service)  Angie recalled that her husband was "relieved" when the crew arrived, and after a midwife check, Eddie was deemed to be doing so well that the family were able to stay home and introduce him to their "stunned" family. 

She said: “We just couldn’t believe how well everything had gone and once everyone had left, it was surreal to be sat in our own with our son who had only arrived an hour or so earlier."

Bethan Jones, Local Safety Champion and Midwife at the Welsh Ambulance Service said: “The pre-arrival advice that women and birthing people receive when ringing 999 is crucial to delivering high quality care from the time a 999 call is placed.

“The call handler’s role is pivotal in this, and Robyn was a great support to Angie and Ben during and after the birth of their son, Eddie."