The UPI reports of a baby born in a car on the shoulder of an Illinois highway today:
An Illinois woman says she and her newborn are doing well after the woman’s boyfriend helped deliver the baby inside a car along Interstate 72.
And…
Holeman said she and her boyfriend, 24-year-old Justin Howell, were driving towards Springfield when she realized the baby was about to arrive.
Howell pulled over and called 911. Emergency dispatchers successfully talked him through the delivery and firefighters arrived minutes after the child was born. The baby is doing just fine, said Holeman, who has two other children.
The hitch? Mom was scheduled for a c-section next week:
Shaniece Holeman, 27, of Jacksonville, Ill., said she had planned to give birth to her daughter, Taegan, by Cesarean section on Jan. 4 but she went into labor Monday while out shopping with her boyfriend, the Springfield (Ill.) State Journal-Register reported.
“This is stuff you read about happening,” Holeman told the newspaper from her room at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. “I never thought I’d be giving birth in a car.”
It’s not clear from the article whether this was a VBAC, though it does say Shaniece has other children. Like Annmarie Schulte’s VBA3C during rush hour traffic in Milwaukee, this story goes to show that sometimes babies pick their own place and time to be born…and maybe for really good reason.
Congratulations to Shaniece, Teagan and Justin!
4 Responses
This happened to me! I was on my way to the hospital and my son was born on the shoulder of the road, Rt. 80 in NJ. This was my 4th baby, but my first two were c-sections.
Accidental natural birth proves medical intervention is usually not necessary. The down side is some OBs schedule their c-sections early to avoid labor, which increases risks to the baby.