Some folks in the SoCal pinball community know me, and my percular family. My family is different because we have a lot of kids (7 now). When I got married 17 years ago my wife and I decided we wanted a large family. We are not particularly religious, we just like kids.
So this brings me to the arrival of my latest kid. My wife was due on January 30th, and she had been having contractions on and off all weekend.
So Monday afternoon at 3pm I get a text message from her that the latest batch of contraction are getting stronger, and that today might be the day. I called her to check in at around 4pm, and her contractions were so strong she could hardly talk to me on the phone. I decided that I was coming home and taking her to the hospital. The one issue was my work was an hour away from the house. My wife told me she thought we still had time because the contractions were still pretty irregular. Weve done this a few times before, so I tend to trust her on these issues.
I get home at 5.. she is obviously in pain. By the time I got her from the house to the van, she had 3 contractions. I told her I didn’t think she would make it to the hospital in Bakersfield. She gave me the look of death and told me she would make it. Our other option was the smaller hospital in Tehachapi, 15 miles away.
No way, she tells me, let’s go to Bakersfield..
We get I the van, head out and get on the road to town. About 2 miles from the house another contraction hits, and hits hard..now Tehachapi hospital is an option.
Two more miles and I hear ‘Oh Crap, my water broke...’. This was shortly followed by: ‘OH MY GOD IM CROWNING’ by now I’m looking for a wide enough spot to pull off the road. We weren’t going to make it to any hospital. The baby was coming, and was not going to wait for us.
With the help of 911, I delivered the baby. I never in my life thought I would have to deliver my own daughter. The baby was out and crying before the first emergency responders even pulled up. They wrapped up mom and baby and they got an ambulance ride down the hill to Bakersfield.
I’m happy to report mommy and baby are now home and doing well.
Looking back, having a baby on the side of the road was one of those things that happened to other people. I never thought my wife and I would experience that.
