A Delivery A Courier Driver Should Never Have To Make

As a courier driver, there are many things you would expect to deliver throughout your career: small packages, large parcels, letters, maybe even the odd strange item (I’ve heard someone once had to deliver a banana that had been sent through the Royal Mail with an address inked into the skin and a stamp stuck to its tip!). What one driver from Somerset never predicted, though, was that he would have to deliver his own baby.

A Courier Driver’s Unexpected Delivery

Just a few weeks ago, Oliver Holditch was woken in the early hours of the morning by his pregnant fiancée, Danielle Ridewood. Her waters had just broken and she was starting to have contractions!

The soon-to-be-married couple quickly phoned Bridgwater Community Hospital and called for a midwife to meet them at the maternity unit. Before the ambulance arrived to take the young mother into hospital though, her contractions had become increasingly intense and close together. Danielle felt the urge to push. This is when Oliver knew he would have to carry out the most important and memorable delivery of his life: that of his own child.

Danielle said that nothing could have prepared her or Oliver for how quick the birth of their son would be, but that her future husband kept his nerve and really pulled through. Lying on the bathroom floor of their home in Street, the courier driver encouraged his wife through her contractions while supporting his son’s head and slowing down the baby’s delivery. At 3:09 am on the 25th of March, 17 minutes after Danielle had started to push, Dylan Patrick Holditch was born.

The heroic courier driver then wrapped little Dylan in a clean towel and used a pillow to support his fiancée’s back. Ten minutes later, the paramedics arrived and ensured that the newborn and mother were both healthy. The beaming threesome was then taken to Musgrove Park Hospital so that Danielle and the baby could receive further medical support.

I’m happy to report that both mother and child were well. In fact, Dylan weighed a healthy 6lbs 11oz.

An Unforgettable Event

The couple had previously been concerned that Oliver might miss the birth altogether. As you well know, being a courier drivermeans that you work long hours and cover a wide delivery area – it’s just one of the facts of the job.

Because Oliver carries out courier jobs from Warminster to Minehead, Danielle had been worried that he might not be able to get back in time from a job if she went into labour during working hours. Fortunately, though, they experienced the life-changing event in the middle of the night and brought their son into the world together.

The happy parents described it as an unforgettable and truly special experience for them both. I’m certainly willing to bet that Oliver will never carry out another delivery quite as remarkable as this one!

Author Plate

Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for same day courier driver  work in the express freight exchange industry. Over 5,300 member companies are networked together through the Exchange to fill empty capacity, get new clients and form long-lasting business relationships.