By Sue Newman  February 10 2010

Sonny Bill McAndrew McDonald is a young man in a hurry.

The first place he called home was the front seat of his mother’s car.

That was Monday morning and today the seven pound, 14-ounce baby boy spends most of his time sleeping, wondering what all the fuss is about.

For him it was a short trip between the warmth of the womb and the cold world of his mum’s Nissan Primera, but for mum Jodie, that trip was one of the longest of her life.

She woke up at midnight with a niggling feeling that something was not quite right.

Not terribly concerned, she took her 14-year-old to his grandmother’s house, called her sister Angie Cooksley and ever the tidy housewife, put the recycling out for the next day.

On her way to Ashburton she had two contractions, but nothing to raise concern.

A quick check with her midwife and, given her history of high blood sugar, it was decided the sisters should drive through to Christchurch Women’s Hospital.

Ten minutes down the road, Chertsey flashed by then everything started to go horribly wrong.

“I just couldn’t get comfortable in the car, from that point, it was the longest ride of my life. I was at the stage where I said to Angie, I’m going to die,” Ms McDonald said.

Neither she nor Angie can recall much of the time between Chertsey and Christchurch, it was a very silent trip and probably a very quick one, neither woman can remember much about it, but Angie’s recollections of the final few minutes are stark.

“I was driving, rubbing her back. She was on all fours in the front seat. I was calling 111 and driving the wrong way down a one way street. I had no idea how to get into Christchurch Women’s,” she said.

Discovering she was in the wrong street, Mrs Cooksley wasted no time and simply reversed until she found the hospital entrance.

“Jodie was amazing, she didn’t even tell me he was coming, it wasn’t until I heard noises that I realised she was about to give birth."

With a sinking feeling she knew that if anyone was to help her sister, it had to be her.

“I heard her start to make pushing noises, so I pushed her pants down and grabbed his little head and these two eyes were staring up at me. He just popped out. My first thought was Oh God, let him breathe,” she said.

Sonny Bill not only breathed, he cried – lustily.

Delivery accomplished, Mrs Cooksley knew the panic was not quite over.

With a baby over her shoulder and her sister rapidly going into shock she managed to negotiate the hospital’s labyrinth of alleyways to find the correct entrance and a medical team waiting with a wheelchair.

Having four children of her own was no preparation for becoming impromptu midwife, particularly when you were also taxi driver, she said.

“When it was over, I just cried and cried, I kept thinking about all the things that could have gone wrong, but they didn’t and he’s just gorgeous.”

Inevitably the Nissan clean-up job fell to her the next morning, her sister was too busy enjoying getting to know her new son.

Today she’s hailing sister Angie as a hero, the aunt who was literally left holding the baby, while dad Pete McAndrew arrived too late for all the drama.

- Photo Sarah Chamberlain 090210-SC-004