A British mother who gave birth while on holiday is unable to come home because her newborn son doesn’t have a passport.
Chantelle Ali, 33, delivered son Rico five weeks early at 7.08pm on July 12 – the last day of her break in Tenerife with partner Ben Major.
Nearly two weeks later, mother and baby are still unable to get home because they’re stuck in the lengthy process of getting an emergency travel document for Rico.
Chantelle, who is from Gloucester, has been living out of a carrier bag in a flat in Playa de las Americas ever since because her suitcase is stuck at the airport.
She said: ‘It has been a highly emotional and mentally draining experience. Not just to have a baby prematurely but in a foreign country is very scary.
‘Google Translate saves me basically. There are a few nurses who can speak English but there are obviously a lot that can’t.
‘It is always worrying because you don’t know if you are getting all the correct information.
‘We love Tenerife and we come out here all the time. I don’t think I want to see Tenerife for a while.’
Chantelle’s waters started leaking two days before she gave birth, but with not much time left until the end of the trip, she thought it could wait until she got home.
After a boat trip on Saturday, they returned to the hotel where she started having contractions.
At first she thought it was Braxton Hicks, but when the pain didn’t improve she asked reception to call an ambulance.
Rico was intended to be delivered by C-section in England but was instead delivered with a full day’s labour, and now has a Spanish birth certificate.
Being five weeks premature, he had some breathing issues and was in the ICU receiving oxygen, where he remains.
Ben had to return to the UK on their flight the next day to sort childcare for their two other children and leave their dog with a family member before returning.
Chantelle added: ‘The contractions were getting stronger and stronger so I ended up taking myself down to reception and telling the poor young Spanish lad behind the reception desk that I was having a baby.
‘It was the worst labour out of all my kids, it was the most painful.
‘It was the worst 48 hours ever. I had just given birth to a premature baby and my partner had to go. I was just left here in a foreign hospital on my own. It was quite scary.’
The hospital is far from the tourist stretch, as Chantelle says it is an hour-long bus ride from where they get their shopping and supplies.
The hospital stay is covered by her insurance, but everything else needs to be funded by them such as the £400-a-week flat and transport.
Due to fleeing their package holiday hotel a day before they were supposed to go home, Chantelle’s suitcase is also currently stuck at the airport, and it will cost £150 to get it back.
This means she is living out of a carrier bag, wearing the same three dresses on repeat.
She said: ‘We are out in the sticks basically, there is nothing English around here.
‘I am not a big Spanish eater, I like my English food so it is very difficult for me. When I was in hospital I was literally living off bread rolls and bananas.’
To get Rico home the family have to provide both their passports, birth certificates, MATB1 form, proof of flights, photos of the baby, hospital documents, and proof he was premature.
They currently have no date of when this might be.
Chantelle said: ‘It is just crazy that my son has been born here, and he has been born here whilst they have won the World Cup. I still can’t believe it.
‘It is a lot of paperwork. When I was first told all of this I was very overwhelmed.
‘Each day is a step closer to home that is what I keep thinking.’
Charity Lia’s Wings, which provides hospital air transfers for children, has been supporting the family.
Charlotte Young, chief operating officer, said: ‘We’ve recently had the privilege of supporting two families whose babies were born prematurely while they were on holiday in Tenerife.
‘We’re continuing to support Rico’s family. As soon as the necessary documentation is in place, we’ll send a medical escort team to help facilitate a safe journey back to the UK and into NHS care.’