How Shedrack Caught a Baby with his Bare Hands

By Ifesinachi Okoli-Okpagu

However, suddenly she screamed and everything became serious.

At that point, I knew this was it.

Shedrack Onakpoma is much more than the Finance Expert at Heirs Holdings. If there were to be

another Marvel film, the main star would be Shedrack who would act the role of Thor!

Recently, I caught up with him to learn from his experience this eye-opening, jaw-breaking, larger-than-life story of how he delivered his wife of their third child.

Here is the amazing story:

How did it happen, Shedrack?

It was an interesting day – the 28^th of December 2015; on a Monday, sometime around 12 noon. My wife had been given a due date and we were not expecting the baby during that period. We were expecting the baby the next week. Suddenly she started complaining about pains. So, as I speak I will be sharing learning points with you.

My first learning point – expect the unexpected in life.

We were not expecting it. She was not sure what it was and her instinct was that we should go to the hospital but I questioned it. I asked her – when is your due date? But she started doubting her instincts saying maybe it’s not due yet.

So, learning point number 2 – trust your instinct.

I think I did well with learning point 2 because immediately she started going through the pain, I had to trust mine that anything could happen. I started thinking of a Plan B. In my mind, I felt that if we should enter the road at that point and started the journey to the hospital we may not get there before the baby arrived.

I told her to call her friend, a nurse who worked in the same hospital. By then, I already had my doubts. She called and the lady said she would be coming shortly. As we were waiting, everything went down and she was okay. She even took a walk downstairs.

However, suddenly she screamed and everything became serious.

At that point, I knew this was it.

I thought to myself that the lady was not coming; so what do we do?

This brings me to my next learning point – you have to stay calm.

I had to calm down and assure her that she should not worry and the lady would soon be around. Meanwhile, I cleaned the rooms, cleared it, laid a new bedspread, asked her to lie down and I inserted a pillow beneath her head. She was screaming and shouting, and I held her hand while making a phone call, trying to get the nurse who assured me that she was on her way.

What about your other children? Where were they at the time this was happening?

They were in the sitting room watching cartoons but one of them kept coming around each time he heard the mom scream. I would send him back.

To continue the story, all of a sudden, the baby was coming out.

In fact, I had mixed emotions. Yes, I was excited but at the same time, I was frightened.

My next learning point – you have to pray.

It did not mean kneeling down and shouting. I had to pray in my mind – “God help me; teach me what to do”, as it was my first time handling such a situation. Then she started screaming – “baby is coming! Baby is coming!”

I tried to calm her down.

I sterilised my hands. I even forgot to wear the hand gloves because we had packed everything. I put my hands in disinfectant and sterilised everywhere.

Lo and behold, Baby came and I brought her out into this world.

God answers prayers because I had experienced birthing twice. I had been in the hospital with her twice before and I knew how painful it could be. My first son took 36 hours. This one came so suddenly.

Initially, I was scared because I did not hear her cry so I tapped her a little and she started crying. I laid her down beside her mother. The cord was still there. At that point, I did not know what to do but I was still praying.

I can still picture the whole thing (sighs).

Finally, the nurse came about 5 to 10 minutes later. She was so stunned that she screamed, “how did you do it?” I told her that I had no other choice.

Then she took charge with the gloves and took care of everything else.

That was how I caught my baby.

Amazing story indeed, Shedrack!