Baby girl arrives 7 weeks early on 7-hour Canadian ferry ride

Lindsey Gale and Mason Devoe of Codroy, Newfoundland, in Canada thought it would be a simple, easy trip on the ferry to help their friend in Cape Breton with a roofing job. It got a little more complicated than they expected when their baby arrived midway through the journey. 

“I was 33 weeks pregnant when we started this trip,” Gale told CTV. “And I said, well, you know what, I may as well come and have a last visit before I can’t travel anymore, before the baby comes.”

All was well, until Gale started to experience what she felt were possibly Braxton Hicks contractions, otherwise known as “false labor.” She had experienced some the day prior, but didn’t think anything of it. After all, she wasn’t expecting her baby for another seven weeks. Soon, though, those irregular contractions became stronger and closer together. 

“Around three, they started to get closer together and more regular,” recalled Gale, according to a Nova Scotia Emergency Health Services (EHS) Facebook post. “I woke Mason and our good friend, Nick, and told them, ‘Hey, I’m pretty sure I’m in labour.’”

Labor in the middle of a seven-hour ferry journey was less than ideal, and both Gale and Devoe were concerned. Unsure of what to do, they kept timing contractions and then contacted the ferry’s chief storekeeper, their friend, Sherry. 

“I was asleep at 4 a.m. and I got a phone call from Mason, who is Miley’s dad, and he asked me could I come down to the room because they thought Lindsey was in labour,” Sherry said, according to CTV.

Sherry ushered her down to the ferry’s first aid room, where a call for help was issued to any nurses aboard. Two came to help Gale – a cardiac specialist and a mental health nurse – and did their best to make her comfortable, as her labor was progressing quickly. Sherry contacted the captain to apprise him of the situation, and to see if there was anything that he could do. In response, the captain increased the ferry’s speed. 

“They called the captain and asked, ‘What should we do? Do we speed this thing up? Do we call for medical resources on ship?’ And they did absolutely everything in their power to help us,” said Gale.

As Gale’s labor intensified, they called 911 and spoke with paramedics, who directed them in caring for Gale. Devoe, however, was very stressed. 

“They let us know what was coming,” Devoe told EHS. “The lovely lady (Chauntel L., communications officer) stayed on the phone and reassured us.” But despite the uncertainty, Gale held on. “It was very hard, and we kept going, and she (Gale) kept pushing on. She is the toughest woman I know.”

As the ferry approached the dock (45 minutes ahead of schedule), the baby was ready to make her appearance. 

READ: Hero 911 dispatcher talks woman and friend through safe delivery of baby boy

“They were trying to keep the baby in because they knew we were just about to dock,” Devoe said. “But I could see myself. The baby was crowning.”

As soon as the ferry docked, five paramedics rushed aboard, prepared to assist with delivery. They arrived at a critical moment. Sherry continued, “Just two minutes and 30 seconds after they walked into the door, baby Miley was here and at the time, I was next to the father helping the paramedics as they delivered this baby. So, it was quite an amazing thing to see.”

All four pounds and seven ounces of Miley made her dramatic entrance into the world, but her time and place of birth is actually uncertain. On November 1st, she was born at 6:59 am Nova Scotia time. However, the ship runs on Newfoundland time, so her time of birth is 7:29 am Newfoundland time. And as for place of birth, well… Miley’s in a whole new category. 

“From what I hear, they’ve had to make up a little new category to where she was born,” Sherry said. “It wasn’t a hospital birth, it wasn’t a home birth, it wasn’t an ambulance birth; it was a ferry birth.”

The happy parents hope their baby can be considered a Newfoundlander, but because she was born between provinces they say they’re still working it out. 

Gale and Devoe were very grateful to have the assistance of local paramedics, who lent a cool head to the unusual situation. Gale also appreciated their presence at the delivery for professional reasons. 

“It’s very fitting that paramedics delivered my baby because I’m a paramedic myself in Newfoundland,” she said. “I can’t get over how collected the paramedics were. It was phenomenal. I helped to deliver my first baby last summer, and let me tell you, my nerves went through the roof.”

Due to her early delivery, Miley is spending some time at Cape Breton hospital before she’s able to go home. 

In a public Facebook post, Gale expressed her gratitude to everyone who helped with the chaotic delivery, and said that she will certainly look at the ferry differently from now on. “Night crossings will never be the same for me again, that’s for certain!”

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