When you’re in labour, the last person you’d expect in the birthing suite with you is your husband’s workmate. But when The Edge radio star Clinton Randell and his wife Jaime welcomed their son Ty into the world, they shared the memorable moment with his co-host Dominic Harvey.
While the bizarre moment started out as an on-air prank, the couple soon realised what a priceless gift experiencing childbirth would mean to Dom, 44, who was sadly unable to have a family with his wife Jay-Jay (the former couple have since announced their separation).
“To see a baby being born is amazing – one minute they’re in the tummy and the next you’re holding this tiny human,” beams Clint, 32, cradling his baby boy at our exclusive Woman’s Day shoot. “It’s pretty miraculous.
“If it was just a funny experiment to make good radio, then we wouldn’t have gone through with it, but Dom was so respectful and said we could back out any time. We thought that if this is the only opportunity Dom gets to experience childbirth, then we’d love to make that happen.”
True to their word, on February 9, Dom joined Clint and Jaime – who also have daughter Cameron, two – at Parnell Birthcare as they welcomed Ty Jackson, with his striking blue eyes and shock of spiky hair, into the world.
Opting for a natural birth, Jaime made sure Dom was at the business end when Ty popped out.
“Clint says the best thing about witnessing the birth is actually seeing the baby come out and taking its first breath,” says Jaime, 30, who was in labour for 14 hours. “If you miss the main event, then you’re just in the room with a screaming woman!
“Dom had been there from the early contractions in the spa to the full-on pushing, and after all of that, he had to see the most miraculous part.”
Adds Clint, “He was so involved, he even cut the umbilical cord – and almost got gunged!”
When Ty arrived, the family was staying with Clint’s parents while their home was under renovation and after Jaime’s rocky pregnancy – which she describes as “the worst nine months of my life” – the new parents were left wondering how they’d cope raising two children under two.
However, their cruisy new addition has made the transition a breeze. “He’s such a little chiller,” tells Jaime.
“For the first three months, we wondered if his vocal cords were even working because he barely made a peep. It’s such a relief as my pregnancy felt like a hangover that never went away. I was exhausted.”
Clint continues, “We feel like Ty is our reward. He’s the perfect addition to the family and Cam just adores him. People warned us she might be jealous, but if anything, she kills him with kindness. She almost does a better job of changing his nappies than I do!”
But it’s not only his family who can’t get enough of the littlest Randell – Ty’s outrageous head of hair has proven to be a real crowd-pleaser all around.
Clint laughs, “If we ever have to be somewhere, we need to allow more time because we always get stopped. In the supermarket or the park, he turns heads everywhere he goes. Winter’s great because we can pop a beanie on him. Honestly, it’s like having a celebrity baby!”