Mr Hando and his partner Rhiannon Selby were five minutes into a 25-minute trip to Goulburn Base Hospital in NSW when "it" happened.

"It was a very scary experience," said Rhiannon.

"And my partner did a pretty good job for someone who hates the sight of blood."

Rhiannon had been to an antenatal appointment that morning, Thursday, September 10 - her due date.

"They told me her head was engaged but she wasn't ready, that I'd go over at least a week, so we booked another appointment for a week later," said Rhiannon.

"I came home to Quialigo, feeling fine, and later went to bed. At 11.30pm I had a pain, got up to go to the toilet and my water broke."

The couple rang the maternity department at 11.45pm, and the midwife suggested she take a shower, and come in when she was ready.

As the parents of an 18-month-old son, Laine, who took seven hours to be born, the pair was not expecting any rush.

"We got ready, got in the car, got five minutes down the road, just near Painters Lane, and I told my partner to pull over," said Rhiannon.

"This would have been about 12.10am. I got out of the car and stood up and I could feel her head already there with my hand."

Jarrod made a hasty call to triple 0.

"He was freaking out," said Rhiannon. "He spoke to operator, who said an ambulance was on the way, and started talking us through it."

Airlie was born at 12.32am, and the ambulance arrived five minutes later, just in time to help with the placenta.

Rhiannon described the agonisingly fast birth, half in and half out of the car, as "terrifying".

"I was lying with my front over the passenger seat," she said. "Jarrod caught the baby - her head came out then the rest of her came very quickly.

"He wrapped her in a towel that was in the car.

"He told the man on the phone that she was out and breathing, which we knew because she screamed straight away, as it was so cold."

Moments later the ambulance arrived, paramedics clamped the cord, and they were taken to hospital.

Airlie Grace Hando, born 12.32am at 51cm long and 3570g, is now settling in at home with her family, and doing well.