Special delivery: Woman gives birth in Changhua post office

Taipei, Dec. 31 (CNA) A woman who went into labor at a Changhua post office gave birth to a baby boy in the office's lobby on Monday, after receiving help from paramedics to deliver the child and local residents, who formed a "human wall" to protect her privacy.

In a press release Wednesday, the Changhua branch of Chunghwa Post Co. said the incident occurred on Monday afternoon, as a woman surnamed Chang (張) was waiting in line at a post office on Zhongzheng Road in Yuanlin.

As she waited, the woman began to feel unwell, and her water broke soon after. Seeing her in distress, post office employees quickly called an ambulance and cleared a space for her to sit down, the press release said.

Paramedics who arrived at the scene assessed that there was no time to transport Chang to a hospital, and decided to deliver the baby in the post office lobby.

At the same time, several customers in the post office formed a human wall around Chang to protect her privacy, remaining in place for around 20 minutes until she gave birth to a baby boy.

The mother and child were then taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where both are in stable condition, the post office said.

According to the press release, Changhua Postmaster Chen Le-ming (陳樂明) visited the new mother and her family at the hospital on Wednesday morning, presenting them with a gift and offering congratulations on behalf of his colleagues.