Penny and Rod's baby scare

For Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster, the arrival of their first child together was supposed to be plain sailing.

The couple were relaxing together in a hospital birthing pool, with candles burning and soft music playing.

Then suddenly, after 12 hours of labour, they found themselves in stormy waters.

Talking publicly for the first time about the arrival of son Alastair, 60-year-old Stewart said doctors became aware that the unborn baby's heart rate was slowing down and discovered that he was being strangled by the umbilical cord.

'Without wanting to worry Penny, they told us, "We have to get this baby out as soon as possible".

'We were trying to get Penny out of the pool but she was so tired and weak that she was falling asleep. Then once we had her on the floor, squatting, it was all very quick.

'I was massaging her back and after ten minutes she let out this primal scream. I've never heard anything like it. She didn't even swear, she just screamed.'

Doctors then got straight to work on their son. 'It was actually around his neck not once but twice,' said Stewart.

'But the doctors were unbelievably quick and managed to get it off in seconds. It was so skilful to watch, but I doubt he'll ever wear a turtle neck again.'

In the interview, for Hello! magazine, the couple claim that Alastair's stressful welcome to the world just over three weeks ago has not put them off the idea of having more children together. Stewart, 60, who now has seven children by five women, told staff at the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth in North London that they would see him 'this time next year'.

If 34-year- old Miss Lancaster does have a second child she might well want to plan some elements of her labour differently next time around.

She said that when her waters broke she suddenly remembered that she had wanted a plaster cast of her pregnant tummy, and instead of going straight to the hospital as advised by her prenatal class, she went with Stewart to an artist's house.

'When we got there the lady asked me when the baby was due and Rod and I were looking at each other, thinking we'd better not tell her the waters had already broken.'

Miss Lancaster also admitted that she asked the doctors to collect the blood from the umbilical cord, so that they could 'freeze it for stem cell research'.

The former underwear model said she had taken the controversial step in case 'God forbid, if the baby should suffer from cancer or leukaemia or anything dreadful that requires a blood transfusion, there's a chance he'd have his own blood.'

The birth of their first child marks the end of a hectic year for the couple, who became engaged in March after Stewart proposed at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

They are planning to marry in what Miss Lancaster described as 'a small, cosy affair some time in June', near to their new house in Provence.