A provincial police officer in Perth County got more than she bargained for Saturday when she initially pulled over a vehicle for speeding, and wound up delivering a baby by the side of the road.

Const. Leslie Timmermans says she was on patrol in Perth East, near Stratford, at about 4 a.m. when she pulled over the Dodge Caravan.

When she went to speak to the couple inside, the husband told Timmermans his wife was in labour.

Timmermans began to escort the parents-to-be to the hospital and had only made it a short distance when the car veered over to the side of the road. She backed up her patrol car, rolled down the window and asked if everything was okay.

"I literally only caught [the words], 'Can't go — baby here,'" she said.

'No turning back'

Timmermans called for an ambulance and walked up to the couple's car, where she said the man had helped his wife into a comfortable position in the passenger seat.

She introduced herself and asked the woman if she could take a look. The woman nodded, she said.

"As soon as I looked, I could see the baby's head, he was crowning, and he was on his way out," she said.

"There was no turning back now."

Timmermans said she focused on encouraging the woman to stay calm and following her lead.

"I remember just saying, 'You're made to do this,'" she said. "When you want to push, you push, when you want to rest, you rest, and … we're going to get through this.'"

"She did a great job ... She was so strong."

Baby and mother healthy

The baby arrived looking slightly blue and with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, she said. She untangled him and started rubbing the baby's back.

Just then, the on-air dispatch asked Timmermans if she wanted to be put through to the paramedics for instructions on how to deliver the baby.

"I ... said, 'I've just delivered the baby,' so there wasn't any need for that,'" she said.

The next question from the dispatcher was whether everybody was okay. That's when the baby cried for the first time.

First call was to her wife

Shortly after, paramedics arrived and took over caring for the baby and the mother. Timmermans said her favourite memory of the day was seeing the mother smiling and waving from the back of the ambulance.

Once everyone was taken care of, Timmermans said the first person she called was her own wife.

"She was floored, just couldn't believe I did that, so it was pretty crazy experience," she said.

"I've had a couple of crazy moments in my career, but nothing where I helped to bring in a life. That was pretty fantastic."

Timmermans said she wants to commend the mother and the baby, as well as the paramedics and staff at the Stratford General Hospital.

In a statement, provincial police congratulated the new parents on their happy family, and Timmermans on "a job well done."