A Parking Lot Birth

For the past 2 months we had been packing, moving, and unpacking. Now it was July 18, Rebekah’s official due date, and we felt we could finally take a breather knowing the new house was pretty much in order. That afternoon, Hannah and Daniel worked in the kitchen, preparing dinner for Daniel’s aunt and uncle who were dropping by on their way traveling north. Hannah had felt some mild cramps off and on, but dismissed them because of their irregularity. Then, at 5:45 p.m., Hannah felt a large cramp, and her water broke.

Daniel’s aunt and uncle arrived at 6 p.m. We immediately sat down for dinner. Hannah had labored for 35 hours with Nathaniel, so she wanted to be prepared for another long labor and leave for the hospital on a full stomach. But a big contraction at 6:05 p.m. cut her dinner short and prompted Daniel to load up his pick-up truck. They left at 6:42 for the 22-minute drive to the hospital. By now Hannah’s contractions were strong and regular.

The intensity of Hannah’s contractions made Daniel drive faster, but a slow-moving fire truck impeded their progress. Wearing a maternity dress, Hannah felt a really big and painful contraction that prompted her to remove her underwear. They finally arrived at the hospital a few minutes after 7. Leaving Hannah in the pick-up, Daniel rushed toward the entrance for a wheel-chair.

At 7:05, an exceptionally intense contraction raised Hannah into a semi-squatting position on the passenger seat. Pain ripped through her body. Breathing heavily, Hannah looked down over her belly and saw Rebekah laying on the seat. Hannah’s first thought was, “Ahhh, there’s a baby down there!” Not knowing what to do, Hannah picked her up, sat down in her pool of bodily fluids, and nestled Rebekah to her chest as she took her first breaths.

A couple of minutes later, Daniel arrived with the wheel-chair. One look through the window showed him he was too late. About that same moment, God sent a nursing student who passed by and saw their predicament. Calmly she helped Hannah wipe off fluids from Rebekah as Daniel rushed back into the hospital for more help. “You know”, the nurse commented, “why don’t we turn off this air-conditioner. The baby probably doesn’t like the cold air.”

A hospital emergency crew came outside to the pick-up, but quickly realized that the emergency had already passed. They summoned nurses from the Labor and Delivery Dept. They arrived, clamped the umbilical cord, laid Hannah and baby on a stretcher, and ushered them inside the hospital for post-birth care. As they rolled through the main entrance, the crowd that had gathered to watch the show through the windows gave them a rousing cheer. When they got to the room, the doctor gave Hannah the scissors to cut the cord since she had already done all the hard work by herself.

Rebekah checked in as a healthy 9 pounder. Now they are back home and recovering nicely. Hannah has received accolades for being a tough Texas woman, but she said she just did what she had to do. She also quipped, “I guess Daniel’s pick-up now qualifies as a ‘delivery truck’.