Pregnant RNLI volunteer stunned after baby was delivered by her crew mate

A woman who volunteers with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) was shocked when she realised it was one of her crew mates who would be delivering her baby.

PC Emily Summerfield had arrived at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton to have a planned C-section.

But says she was ‘reassured’ to see the friendly face of Julian Cumberworth – who combines his voluntary role at the RNLI with his job as an anaesthetist.

Emily was happy to have him as part of the team who helped deliver her baby. How many people get to have a trusted friend at the business end of their birth experience?

Constable Emily, who also works for Sussex Police, says: ‘I have such positive memories from that day, it was a great experience for myself and my family.

‘Julian was my point of contact in a room full of people, it was great to have that level of trust in someone you already knew and his calm reassurance was just what was needed.’

The great thing about Julian is that he is calm and collected, and Emily said he really ‘led the room’, and kept her informed about was happening throughout.

‘It’s what makes him such a great team member in the RNLI and it helped in this situation too,’ she adds.

‘Meeting my baby for the first time and finding out he was a boy was an amazing moment, I will never forget it and I’m so grateful to Julian and the whole team at the Royal Sussex for making sure we were well looked after.’

Emily had her baby boy – named William and weighing 8lbs 9oz – on November 1.

William has already had his first trip to Brighton station to meet Julian.

Emily adds: ‘I hope to be able to get back to being a crew member in the early summer as I’ve really missed it.

‘My dad volunteered with Eastbourne RNLI as a launch authority for more than 20 years so it was something I’d always wanted to do – and now William has a special connection with lifeboats too.’

Emily’s husband Rob also works with Sussex Police and they have an older daughter, three-year-old Maddie.

Julian, who has been an RNLI crew member for six years, says: ‘It was really nice to be involved in Emily and William’s story.

‘It’s an honour to look back on being involved even in a small way, and it’s lovely to hear Emily’s positive memories of her special day.’

Emily and Julian both make up crew members as part of Brighton’s lifeboat station at the Marina.

The crew provide a 24/7 on call search and rescue service along the Sussex coastline between Newhaven and Shoreham with the Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Random Harvest.

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