Mother sees face of an angel in pregnancy scan watching over her baby in the womb

When Dee Lazarou went into labour early at home, she knew the risks of having a home delivery.

There was no midwife present as baby Leo made his way into the world as she gave birth on their bathroom floor, helped only by her family.

But she knew that no harm could come to him - as they had already been given a sign that he was being looked over in the womb.

Watching over: The 'face of an angel' can be seen above baby Leo in the womb. Dee Lazarou, 31, was 12 weeks pregnant when she had this scan done in Stevenage

Amazingly in the scan picture taken of her son Leo when she was 12 weeks pregnant, Mrs Lazarou could clearly make out a face resembling an angel.

She and her husband were convinced he was looking over their unborn child, to see him born safely.

Mrs Lazarou, 31, an team leader for the police force communications emergency room, said: ‘It was such a comfort to think that someone was looking after our son.

‘When I gave birth on our bathroom floor, there was no midwife to help us and my husband had to deliver Leo.

Newborn: Mrs Lazarou with baby Leo. She gave birth on the bathroom floor without the help of a midwife

‘His cord was wrapped around his neck and it was my mother who pulled the cord free. It was a nerve-wracking experience, but I’m sure that a guardian angel was looking over him to make sure he was delivered safely.’

Mrs Lazarou was just 12 weeks into her pregnancy when they spotted the remarkable image in the scan picture taken at Lister Hospital in Stevenage.

Mrs Lazarou, who lives with husband Thomas, 34, a policeman, and their son Oliver, three, in Stevenage, said: ‘I didn’t look at the scan picture until we got home. I was looking at it with Oliver, telling him that it was a picture of his little brother or sister, when I noticed something odd in the corner of the picture.

‘I could see clearly that it was a face. I showed it to my husband when he got home from work.

‘We were stunned to see it - as it was such a clear image. It was such a comfort to me during the rest of my pregnancy, knowing that we had someone looking over our baby in the womb.’

When Mrs Lazarou was a week past her due date she started with contractions.

She said: ‘I decided to have a bath to ease the pain as I thought I would have several hours before I would have to get to hospital, and the pains were mild so I wasn’t even sure at first that they were proper labour pains.’

But the pains quickly got worse. Mrs Lazarou called both her mother Marie and her husband to come home.

She said: ‘I knew that there was no time to get to hospital. I was in the bathroom and I felt the urge to push. Tom helped me lie down on the floor and paramedics gave him instructions over the phone as he delivered our baby.

‘I was worried because there was no midwife and I had always been adamant that I wanted to have a hospital birth as I knew that home births could be risky. So to be giving birth to my son at home was terrifying. I just had to hope and pray that he would be alright.’

Baby Leo arrived on the bathroom floor in August weighing 8Ibs, but then a drama unfolded as he had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck.

Mrs Lazarou said: ‘It was terrifying. When Tom caught him in his arms as he was delivered, we saw that the cord was wrapped around his neck which could have been lifethreatening to him.

‘Mum luckily was able to unwrap it from around his neck and free him. And moments later he uttered a cry, which was such a relief. It was the most amazing sound as we knew that he was alright.’

The paramedics arrived just after the birth and took Mrs Lazarou to hospital for a check up.

She said: ‘Luckily we were both fine and we were allowed home, which was such a relief.

‘When we saw the face of someone in the scan picture we were stunned, but now we know that it was for a reason.

‘He was watching over Leo to make sure he was delivered safely. The face in the scan picture was such a comfort to us all.