A Chicago man rushing his pregnant wife to the hospital delivered their 8-pound, 1-ounce baby girl on the side of the road after Mom suddenly went into labor in the car en route Monday morning.
Javier Sanchez was headed to McNeil Hospital in Berwyn overnight after his wife started having contractions around 3 a.m. But on his way to the hospital, Sanchez said the family had to exit the Eisenhower Expressway at South Austin Boulevard when the contractions grew faster.
He pulled over in the 800 block of South Austin Boulevard and delivered his baby girl.
"I'm on the highway, so I come out," Sanchez said. "I tried to make it to the hospital, but I can't. The baby's come out."
An ambulance met them and took the mother and baby girl to West Suburban Medical Center.
"The call was that mom delivered in the car, she was not finished with the afterbirth process," said Donald Reese, a doctor at West Suburban Medical Center.
Reese said his biggest concern was the newborn's possible exposure to cold during the frigid March morning.
"The baby was only a little cold," he said. "Mom did a wonderful job of keeping her warm."
U.S. & World
Camila Sanchez weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce. Officials say she and her mother are both in good condition.
