NEWBORN Jack Corrigan arrived in the world a week early after his father gave his mother acupuncture.

When Julie Corrigan, 39, started having pains, her husband John, 45, gave her so much acupuncture to relax her that she ended up giving birth on the bathroom floor.

There was no time for an ambulance so Mr Corrigan fetched the only medical staff he knew - two skin specialists and a GP from across the road.

Together, they brought 6lb 5oz Jack into the world.

Mr Corrigan, formerly a managing director of a building firm, recently qualified as an acupuncturist.

His wife had been at home in West Jesmond, Newcastle, when she started to feel twinges. Later, when the pain was more severe, her husband treated her with acupuncture.

And soon after, the baby's head had emerged.

She said: "I don't know how I managed it, but I held on to the baby's head, lay on the floor and stayed calm."

Delighted Mrs Corrigan, who has a daughter, Chloe, four, said: "My husband was fantastic and just took control. My daughter, Chloe, was Caesarean section, so I was looking forward to a natural birth - but I never expected anything as dramatic as this."