Mother recounts giving birth aboard VR train

A mother has described how she gave birth to her daughter aboard a VR train travelling from Helsinki to Vaasa, Yle reports. She said she was grateful to fellow passengers who helped during the birth and to staff at Seinäjoki Central Hospital.

The mother was travelling alone on IC 49 when she began to feel that labour was starting. She asked another passenger to fetch the conductor.

“At that point, it was clear there was no turning back,” she said.

The conductor cleared a carriage and asked whether any healthcare professionals were on board. A paediatrician and an operating room nurse came forward.

The two women had never assisted with a birth before. They initially hoped the emergency was not a delivery but a resuscitation case. Once it became clear what was happening, they helped the mother give birth.

The baby was born near Jalasjärvi and Kurikka. About 15 minutes later, the mother and baby got off the train in Seinäjoki, where ambulances and a midwife were waiting. They were taken to Seinäjoki Central Hospital.

“The staff were wonderfully empathetic. They were present all the time, but not too much, and gave us our own peace,” the mother said.

The operating room nurse who had helped with the birth happened to be working at the hospital. The following morning, she called to ask whether she could come and see the mother and baby.

“We spent a long time looking at the baby together. It was a really warm meeting,” the mother said.

The mother and baby boarded another train three days later to return home. The baby slept extremely well during the journey, which the mother’s father said was probably because she felt at home on the train.

The baby is the family’s third child. Yle has not published the names of the mother and baby to protect the newborn’s identity. Their identities are known to the broadcaster, which has also seen the mother’s birth record confirming that the baby was born on the train.