After enduring lengthy labors with my first two children, I never anticipated that my third would arrive so swiftly.
When I discovered I was pregnant with my third child, I was about five weeks along. My partner, Jake, and I were taken aback but thrilled. The pregnancy was smooth and uneventful—much like my previous ones. Our first child, Max, was born in 2016 after a grueling 20-hour labor. Our second, Emma, entered the world in 2021 following a scheduled induction that lasted 19 hours. Given the lengthy labors of both Max and Emma, I had no reason to think this third child would come any sooner. We had even scheduled an induction for 39 weeks, but everything changed when I hit 38 weeks and 3 days.
That night, a snowstorm blanketed our town of Salem, Virginia, with six inches of snow. As we settled into bed, Jake jokingly remarked, “Let’s hope the baby doesn’t decide to come tonight of all nights—we’d never make it to the hospital!” Little did he know, an unexpected adventure awaited us.
I woke up around 6 a.m. to a startling realization: my water had broken.
The rush of adrenaline hit me as I realized we needed to get to the hospital quickly. After a frantic scramble for clothes, we hopped in the car, but the snowy roads made the journey slow. With each passing minute, I felt the urgency of the situation growing. Just three minutes away from the hospital, I knew we might not make it.
In a moment of sheer disbelief, I found myself in the back seat, giving birth to my son. Thankfully, Jake was able to assist, and we welcomed our baby boy into the world right there, just before reaching the hospital. It was an experience I never could have prepared for!
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In summary, my unexpected car delivery was a whirlwind experience that I will never forget. It taught me a lot about the unpredictability of childbirth and the resilience of parents.