Amanda Hess is an obstetrician/gynecologist and was in labor, just a few hours away from delivering her second child, when she heard screaming coming from down the hallway. In an act of serious excellence, Dr. Hess got out of her own bed and helped the mother in crisis deliver a healthy baby.
Leah Halliday-Johnson was in the midst of labor with her fourth child when she arrived at the Frankfort Regional Medical Center in Frankfort, Kentucky dilated to only one centimeter. Just an hour later, however, things had progressed rapidly and she was ready to push. Unfortunately, the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck–and nurses were telling her not to push and wait for the doctor, who was on his way back from a break.
“I was not being quiet about the fact that it was difficult for me not to push,” Halliday-Johnson told PEOPLE in an interview. Because things had progressed so fast, there was no time for an epidural or any other pain medication.
“I just put on another gown to cover up my backside and put on some boots over my shoes… and went down to her room and I knew her,” Hess told local station WKYT.
Dr. Hess heard Halliday-Johnson’s screams and recognized her as a patient that she had seen for a final prenatal appointment just a few days before. Hess told WKYT that when Halliday-Johnson saw her, she was just relieved to push and finish the job.
“I said, OK, it’s great to see you. Can I push now?” Halliday-Johnson told PEOPLE. “She was in complete doctor mode. She just heard somebody needed help.”
With just two quick pushes, Halliday-Johnson delivered a healthy, 8-lb. baby girl. Dr. Hess gave birth a short while later to an equally healthy baby girl whom she named Ellen Joyce.
“You know I love doing what I do,” Hess told WYKT. “I love taking care of mothers and babies and you really a lot of doctors are always thinking of their patients even when they’re a patient themselves.”