Opera star Laura Wright almost gave birth to her second child in her car after a fast and “intense” labour.
The singer’s daughter Orlaigh was born two weeks late, on June 5, at a hospital close to her home in Norfolk - and Laura has now revealed that her labour came on so quickly she nearly didn’t make it to the hospital in time.
During an interview with HELLO! magazine, she explained: “I felt a sharp pain, and knew this was it.
"(Husband) Harry (Rowland) called my mum to come and look after (daughter) Ottilie and we bundled into the car.
"As my contractions became more intense, Harry did a Lewis Hamilton-style drive to the hospital, while I held on to my seat with one hand and used a pressure point device to ease the pain with the other."
Laura, 32, felt the baby “emerge” and they considered stopping the car so she could give birth at the side of the road. However, the couple ultimately decided against it and they kept going to the hospital.
The soprano added: "I could feel the baby start to emerge. We considered stopping and calling an ambulance, but decided against it as the baby would have been born in the car.
"Although Harry was panicking underneath, he stayed calm on the surface for my sake, telling me: ‘You’re doing really well: we’ll be at the hospital soon’."
Harry added of the dilemma: “I didn’t know whether we’d make it in time."
Orlaigh was born just minutes after the couple reached the hospital, and according to the singer, their two-year-old daughter Ottilie is "thrilled" to have a baby sister.
