Posted December 01, 2016 10:24:34

Police got more than they bargained for when they pulled a car over for speeding near Portland, in Victoria's south-west, last night.

Two highway patrol officers turned their hands to midwifery when they discovered the driver they had pulled over was rushing a pregnant woman to the Warrnambool Base Hospital just after 8:30pm.

Senior Constable Nathan Cashion, who delivered the baby, said he clued on to the situation when the female passenger became "unusually anxious" at being stopped.

"Before we knew it a baby was born. Bubs didn't want to wait, he was coming out," he said.

Senior Constable Cashion said the intervention had been a "godsend".

"She had only been in labour for about an hour, but they were a long way from the hospital they were going to," he said.

"They wouldn't have made it either way."

After laying down towels on the side of the road for the woman, a "bright and healthy" baby boy was delivered 20 minutes later.

One of the officers then drove the ambulance that had arrived, to allow the paramedic to attend to the new mother and baby.

"I've got kids of my own and I was there for their birth, so that might have helped out a bit," Senior Constable Cashion said.

"It's amazing what you remember from the old Lamaze classes."

As for the red-faced driver, Senior Constable Cashion said he could be expecting another surprise.

"He didn't receive an infringement notice on the spot, but he may get one in the mail," he said.

"We never know what we're going to be faced with when we start work, that's for sure."

Topics: family-and-children, pregnancy-and-childbirth, police, portland-3305