Arshika “Rose” Shahi was born on the side of Blue Ribbon Road at 7.20am Tuesday while her parents were on their way to Wimmera Base Hospital in Horsham.

Parents Ashish Shahi and Mahima Atwal said Arshika’s roadside birth came as a shock.

Ms Atwal said she started to feel pains about 4am Tuesday.

“We rang Horsham hospital and they told us to come. On the way I had a strong contractions,” she said.

“(Mr Shahi) was starting to panic and so was I, but we were not showing that panic to each other. On the way, I rang the ambulance to let them know that the baby was coming.”

The couple stopped on the side of the road – about halfway between Warracknabeal and Horsham.

“We saw that someone was coming and flagged them down,” she said.

Luckily for the couple, aged care nurse Bronwyn McIntyre was on her way to work when she saw Mr Shahi standing on the side of the road.

“I work with them them in Warracknabeal, so I recognised Ash,” she said.

“He said, ‘the baby is coming right now’ – so I did what I had to do. I’ve never delivered a baby before, but there’s a first for everything.”

Ms Atwal said Arshika had arrived before the ambulance reached them.

“It is pretty special and a new experience,” she said.

“In Nepal, where we’re from, it’s common – but not in Australia because you have access to everything.

“We are happy and glad that she is healthy, that’s the main thing. We are really thankful to Brownyn and also to the paramedics.”