Proud mum Michelle Sanderson is celebrating a very special delivery after her baby daughter Daisy rushed into the world - in the family's bathroom.

Michelle, 30, said she was especially grateful to her teenage son Nick, who held her hand through the drama at their home in Barfield Road, off Malton Road, York, and calmly phoned for help.

She said her first two pregnancies had been difficult ones and the first had left Nick, now 13, with severe deafness, which means he has to wear a hearing aid.

"I started having contractions at about 8.20pm and I timed them and they were about seven minutes apart," Michelle said.

"At about 9 o'clock my waters broke, which was quite a shock.

"I came back downstairs and told Nick we'd better get ready and to get hold of Nana."

Things then speeded up very quickly - within minutes Michelle was back in the bathroom, kneeling on the floor and shouting to Nick that she could feel the baby's head.

"Nick was a tower of strength. He was holding my hand and was phoning everybody at the same time. I was screaming I was so frightened. He was telling the ambulance person where we lived and was communicating with both of us without panicking.

"My mum arrived just before she came out - my mum just caught her."

Daisy was born at 9.25pm, 13 days early, and weighing 6lb 7oz.

Shortly afterwards, dad Andy Haworth arrived after receiving a message on his mobile phone.

Michelle said: "I always said I wanted a natural home delivery with no epidural but you get the shock of your life when it happens."

Updated: 11:54 Monday, June 18, 2001