‘Not on the birth plan:’ Six days overdue author Briony Benjamin was told to get to a Gold Coast hospital before Cyclone Alfred arrives

Mum-to-be Briony Benjamin will be forced to ride out Cyclone Alfred in a Gold Coast hospital after concerns she may be cut off if her baby arrives before the big storm. The mother of one, who is 41 weeks pregnant, told NewsWire even though she wasn’t in labour, her obstetrician and family thought it would be the safest option if she was already at the hospital. “Driving in a cyclone is not advised, it’s quite dangerous and I’m six days overdue, so it’s any moment now,” she said. “My understanding is I’m currently the most pregnant lady in the hospital, so probably best to be here.” Ms Benjamin said the unprecedented cyclone event had hospital staff thinking about sleeping over so they had enough emergency staff and obstetricians on hand. She said it was a little nervewrecking thinking about giving birth during a cyclone but she felt like she was in very competent hands and was much calmer at hospital rather than thinking about how she would get there during the weather event. Ms Benjamin is a cancer survivor and said it was the first time she had returned to the hospital since she completed chemotherapy. She said the experience felt like another curveball similar to what she wrote about in her book titled ‘Life is tough, but so are you.’ “You just have to roll with them and make the best plan that you can as you go, it’s just another little interesting moment in our story,” she said. “I’m just incredibly grateful to be living in a part of the world where we can have access to these great services in a safe place. “It’s actually nice to come back to a place that was a place of a lot of fear and a really tough, challenging time in my life. “To come back for such a beautiful reason, I feel incredibly lucky and grateful knowing that this wasn’t necessarily going to be in my future, that’s pretty amazing.” While giving birth to her second child during a cyclone was not on her birthing plan, naming her child Alfie had not been ruled out. “It’s in the works, we’ll just have to wait and see how Alfie plays out, if he’s destructive it might be bad idea but it’s definitely on the radar,” she said. Ms Benjamin’s husband is staying at the hospital with her while her parents look after their 18-month-old son. “We’re excited and looking forward to it, and just hoping that everyone stays safe out there, particularly all the amazing medical staff and workers that have to travel to and from the hospital. “It’s a very interesting experience to be 41 weeks pregnant.”

‘Not on the birth plan:’ Six days overdue author Briony Benjamin was told to get to a Gold Coast hospital before Cyclone Alfred arrives

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