When you’re pregnant, it’s normal to daydream about what your labor and delivery will be like. Many new parents spend this time coming up with their ideal version of how things will go, typically calling it a “birth plan.”
However, one California couple recently realized that they were going to need to completely pivot from their birth plan after mom went into labor on the side of the road. Unfortunately, traffic was so bad that the parents-to-be actually had to call for help.
According to a Facebook post from the San Francisco Fire Department, that help was also stuck in the traffic jam. First responders had to hike to the car, arriving just in time to help Karollyn and Nate (both of whom asked ABC News to withhold their last names) welcome their new baby girl, Cielle Ray.
Both mom and baby are doing great now, and the whole family has a really impressive story to pull out if they ever find themselves in need of something for a game of two truths and a lie!
They Were on Their Way to the Hospital
Giving birth on the side of the road was never part of the plan for Karollyn and Nate, who, according to the San Francisco Fire Department, were on their way to the hospital when they got stuck in traffic. A post about the incident says that the call came into the station around 4:40 p.m. local time on Sept. 19, 2026.
First responders jumped into action, but they found themselves held up in the same traffic, preventing mom and dad from getting to the hospital in the first place. According to the post, American Medical Response (AMR) was sent out along with the fire department, but AMR was forced to park two blocks away and “hiked in” to Golden Gate Park just in time to assist with delivery.
The Family Was Helped by a Stranger
While the couple waited for help to arrive, ABC News reports that a doula who had also been stuck in traffic quickly jumped into action.
The outlet says AMR released the information in a statement that included an update from the new parents.
“We always joked around about giving birth in the car, never thought it would happen to us,” the new parents wrote in the statement. “We took a route that I take every morning to work without issues, and just so happens that the day with the worst traffic is the last day we needed it.”
Everyone Celebrated the Happy News
With so much bad news online these days, it seems people were eager to read some good news, especially since the happy announcement was shared on Facebook alongside a photo. The couple reportedly gave the fire department permission to share a photo of the newly minted family of three, and you can see just how happy mom and dad look after welcoming their baby girl.
“Many blessings to the new family,” one person wrote.
Meanwhile, others who claimed to have been stuck in traffic with their families celebrated the arrival, even if it caused some delays. “The baby is healthy and safe; traffic was worth [it],” one person wrote.
It sounds like all’s well that ends well… even if it was probably a pretty stressful situation for the new parents at the time.