In a cramp-inducing story coming out of America, a doctor in Iowa has gone into labour while delivering another woman's baby.

What are the odds!

Dr Emily Jacobs, 28, OB-GYN in residence at University of Iowa Hospital and Clincs, was onto her "second or third" delivery for the day, when her own decided to make an appearance.

At 4am, only three hours before the end of her shift, her son - now named Jett - decided mid-someone-else's-delivery was the perfect time to, er, jet into the world, four weeks early.

"I noticed what I thought was amniotic fluid of the patient as the baby was delivering," she told ABC News .

It was her third delivery of the day (
Image:
Getty)

"It wasn't until I left the room when I realised that it was my water that had broken.

"I was freaking out a little bit because we were still seeing patients and [my supervisor] just kind of smiled and told me to go back in one of the triage rooms and wait for her to confirm that it was my water."

And, spoiler alert: it was.

Not long after receiving confirmation she was about to give birth, her contractions started and her labour was well and truly underway.

Her colleague, Kelly Ulmer, MD, was on hand to help deliver baby Jett, making it quite a special experience for both women.

Speaking about it now, Dr Jacobs says the experience has taught her how to be a better doctor and more "empathetic" to the concerns of expectant mothers.

And at seven weeks old, Jett is apparently thriving after his dramatic entry to the world.

Now the lesson here is that if you're going to go into labour early, might as well make it as convenient for yourself as possible and do it when you're already in the hospital.