Kentucky Doctor Helps Deliver Baby Before Giving Birth Herself

You often hear stories about doctors putting their patients first. But this doctor went the extra mile for one pregnant woman – even though she was almost in labor herself.

Obstetrician Dr. Amanda Hess of Frankfort, Kentucky, delivered Leah Halliday Johnson's baby at Frankfort Regional Medical Center after overhearing the baby was in distress. A very pregnant Hess herself was preparing to have her labor induced. She had seen Halliday Johnson before where she practices, though wasn't her only doctor at Women's Care of the Blue Grass, NBC News reports.

Dr. Hala Sabry – a founder of nonprofit Physician Moms Group, of which Hess is a member – described Hess's heroic actions in a Facebook post: "The patient's OBGYN was on their way but Dr. Hess (an OBGYN herself) knew that the baby needed attention now! So, in her own words, she "put another gown on to cover my backside, put some splash boots on over my flip flops" and delivered that baby! She literally worked until the last second!!"

Hess discussed the incident with NBC News affiliate WLEX-18. "I had actually taken a call the day before, so I thought really that I was working up to the last minute. But this was literally 'til the last second," Hess said. Hess later gave birth to her second child, Ellen Joyce.

Halliday Johnson, for her part, told NBC News how grateful she was for Hess's help.

"I appreciate what she did for my family, and it speaks a lot to who she is as a woman and a mother as well as a doctor," she said. "It makes you feel better, bringing a baby girl into the world, knowing there are women like her willing to step up like that."