Traffic jams are stressful enough for anyone, but the minute I conceived a child, they caused a whole extra level of anxiety for me. I couldn't stop imagining being in labor and trying to get to the hospital when traffic was at a standstill. I had nightmares about delivering in the middle of a road somewhere en route. Fortunately it didn't happen that way for me, but it did for Natalie, a mother of two, who recently shared her stressful birth story with CafeMom Studios.
She knew it was time for the baby to come, so she called her dad who was going to come stay with her older daughter. He said he could either come right away, or go pick up her mother, and they'd be there in an hour. Natalie told him she was "sure another hour would be fine."
It was only 2.8 miles to the hospital, but then they hit traffic. Stuck at a light, trying to turn left, she knew it would take at least two light changes to get through it. The baby's head came out before they made it through that one. Little Isaac's entire body was out before they got through the next intersection -- all 8 pounds, 9 ounces of him.
A quick, unexpected turn by dad as he pulled over to wait for an ambulance sent Natalie and Isaac falling to the floor. Somehow the cord was cut when that happened, and they followed the 911 operator's advice to tap the baby's feet to get him to start crying.
Shortly thereafter, the ambulance arrived and took them to the hospital. Mom and baby were both fine, and today Isaac is a healthy 3-year-old. But wow, what a birth story!
I love hearing ones like this I think because it confirms that even if one of your worst birth nightmares occurs, things can and usually do turn out okay even without any doctors or other intervention. Our bodies were made for the job.
Here's Natalie telling her story in her own words.
What was the most unexpected thing that happened during your delivery? What's your biggest fear?
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Image via CafeMom/YouTube
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Comments 5
I know it's not for eveybody, but one of the perks of planing a homebirth is not having to worry about this happening. It was so much less stress for me. Which resulted in a more relaxed, quicker second birth.
Rhonda, sounds like you're talking about Tacoma Narrows Bridge aka Galloping Gerttie.
I literally had my son walking into the ER
wow I had to have a c section no traffic jam., or homebirth