Life in the fast lane as Yorkshire couple deliver baby while driving at 70mph on the M1

Proud mum Rebecca Cheung's second son, Archie, wasn't due for another week, but he decided to arrive in spectacular style on Sunday August 20.

When Rebecca's contractions started coming thick and fast the family were told by hospital staff to head for the hospital.

They dropped off their one-year-old son at a relatives house and started the 12-mile journey to Pindersfield hospital in Wakefield, West Yorks.

But as 30-year-old dad Anthony dashed down the M1 motorway little Archie decided that the time was right to introduce himself.

Rebecca, 29, said: "We left home at about 8.45am and when we got onto the M1 my contractions just started going crazy.

"Anthony was saying: 'You can't push yet!', but then my waters broke and it got a bit messy."

To make matters worse, the stretch of motorway that they were driving down had no hard shoulder to pull over onto.

Anthony said that he couldn't pull over or stop because that would have been even more dangerous, and had to just keep going.

"I'm bombing it in the fast lane and all the while I'm thinking this baby can't be born here because all your told is that you should get to the hospital," said the shell shocked dad.

Rebecca said: "I still had my underwear on so I had to try and get them off in the front seat of the car, and when Anthony saw me he was saying: 'What are you doing?'"

"Then Anthony looked and saw the baby's head and half of the body coming out.

"We were both panicking and the car started swerving so I was trying to get Anthony to concentrate on the driving.

"I pushed again and the whole body came out and then the baby was there. He was born at 9.13am.

"He didn't cry straight away so it was a bit of a panic.

"His chord was wrapped under his arms and pushing his neck forwards but after we untangled him and he had a bit of a cry we both relaxed a bit."

Anthony pulled off at the next junction and phoned the hospital to tell them what had happened.

Hospital staff told him to head straight for A&E, and they arrived five minutes later.

Rebecca, a Northern Ballet research officer from Middlestown, West Yorks., said: "We parked up by the ambulances and the paramedics ran over to help us.

"Everyone was so happy to see us. We were moved up to the birthing suite and then it just all came home to me. I just couldn't believe what had just happened."

Rebecca and Anthony's first son, Harvey, is almost two years old and was himself born in a speedy three hours.

"I'd say the birth was definitely more intense than my first birth but then it all happened so fast to be honest," said Rebecca. "It was so intense, and the pain was there obviously but it was also really special."

Anthony, who works as a software salesman, said: "It was an absolutely incredible experience, and I definitely wouldn't change it for anything.

"It was just the two of us there. It was so intimate and a total mix of emotions.

"Literally 48 hours before I had spent half a day cleaning the car and making it look and smell immaculate to get here to and from the hospital.

"Amazingly the first paramedic we saw when we got there was my best friend's girlfriend and she gave the car a quick clean for us.

"It was only when we let it all sink in a few hours later that we suddenly realised we should tell our parents.

"We were given the all clear and we were home by about 7pm that same day."

Looking back, Rebecca said that more than anything she felt grateful that nothing had gone wrong.

Rebecca said: "We're lucky it was so straight forward because it can be so unpredictable and if anything went wrong the professionals were so far away.

"Everyone says that I must feel so proud of myself, but when it happens to you it just feels normal to be honest."