A Kentucky OB-GYN doctor who was about to give birth to her own baby suddenly found herself leaping to the assistance of another woman who was delivering a baby, just minutes before her own contractions began. OB-GYN Amanda Hess often helps bring new life into the world, but not usually while she is preparing to deliver her own child, although that’s exactly what happened recently at Frankfort Regional Hospital.

“You know I love doing what I do. I love taking care of mothers and babies and you really a lot of doctors are always thinking of their patients even when they’re a patient themselves,” Doctor Hess was quoted in a WKYT report. “I just put on another gown to cover up my backside and put on some boots over my shoes, to keep from getting any fluid and all that stuff on me, and went down to her room and I knew her.”

Hess was assisting patient Leah Halliday Johnson, who was fully dilated and screaming her lungs out, according to the report. The doctor on call was on his way back to the hospital after being on break, and Hess believed there was no time to waste, so she started to help deliver Johnson’s baby.

Hess noticed that Johnson was one of the patients she had seen days before for a checkup, and Johnson was relieved when she saw her as she knew she’d be able to hurry up and deliver the baby. After Hess delivered the baby, she soon gave birth to her own child, a baby girl named Ellen Joyce.

Johnson reportedly said of Hess that she had seen her three or four times and “I like her a lot.” She was impressed that she had taken time to help deliver her baby when she was about to give birth herself.

In fact, Hess was being induced into labor at the time, but when she heard of the predicament, she immediately put on a pair of boots and donned a hospital gown. Johnson didn’t know Hess was in labor herself, and said she was professional the whole time.

Hess started having contractions soon after delivering Johnson’s baby.

“I had actually taken a call the day before, so I thought really that I was working up to the last minute. But this was literally ’til the last second,” she reportedly said.

While Hess and Johnson haven’t spoken since the incident, Johnson said she’s grateful for Hess’ actions. Hess, for her part, insisted she was simply doing her job.

“Delivering other peoples’ babies is something I do every day. And I’m more comfortable with delivering someone else’s baby than my own, for sure,” she said.