New-born sparks up welder’s day

By Kath Gannaway
WESBURN dad Daniel Krol was getting ready for work as a welder last week when he was called on for a very different job.
Within half an hour of contractions starting his partner, Kylie Robinson, had given birth to the couple’s second child, a beautiful daughter, Ella.
“One minute Kylie was screaming in pain, the next she was on the bed and everything was happening,” Mr Krol said of the experience.
“I had Michael in one hand, the ambulance guy on the phone in the other hand and Kylie talking to her mum on the other phone.”
By the time his mum, Anna, arrived, he was holding 11-month-old Michael, new-born Ella, and the phone…! Who said men can’t multi-skill.
Ms Robinson said she was a little worried when Ella decided to join the family a week early.
“Daniel was telling me to wait,” she said, still a little bemused, “ … but with the head showing, I told him I couldn’t!”
Yarra Junction paramedics Colin McLeod and Shane Edwards arrived in time to show Mr Krol how to cut the umbilical cord.
“It was a great event,” Mr Edwards said.
“Daniel did a remarkable job and mum did so well to remain calm… she was really cool, quiet and placid.”
There’s no fear of Mr Krol forgetting his role in the birth of his daughter but, just in case, he has the scissors he used to cut the cord.
“It was a very emotional moment for him,” said Mr Edwards.
“I thought he might like to have them… a nice memento.”
The birth of Ella, early or otherwise, was destined to be a great event for the Robinson family.
Ella is the fifth generation only girl in the family and on Wednesday she had her first big girls day out with mum, grandmother Tracey Robinson, great-grandmother Lorraine Lebehen and her great-great-grandmother, Joyce Cowman.