A family in San Antonio, Texas, was ready to welcome its second baby home. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, they had to rush to a local hospital: the woman had gone into labor. The trip was cut short momentarily, however, as she gave birth in the car outside a local convenience store. It all happened on Father’s Day, too.
As reported by KENS5, the incident occurred on Sunday, June 21. At around 2 a.m., Mariah Cerda suddenly went into labor.
Her husband, Luis Cerda, quickly got behind the wheel and began driving her to a local San Antonio hospital. They believed they had time, as second-time mothers still normally take hours from going into labor to the actual childbirth.
However, just minutes into one of the most important drives of their lives, they soon found that they didn’t have hours at all. They only had minutes.
An Eager Baby
According to Mariah, things changed quickly as soon as she got into the car. Around five to six minutes after her husband began driving the vehicle, she knew her second child was eager to come out.
“I was like, screaming. And I told him I’m going to poop. And I know this is my second baby, so I know that feeling,” the woman told the outlet.
This feeling wouldn’t subside, and the hospital seemed to be getting further and further away. Eventually, while on Interstate 37 South, the woman felt the baby’s head in record time.
A Quick Trip to QuikTrip
Mariah felt the baby crowning. Once she felt his newborn son’s head, she knew that getting to the hospital, right there and then, was no longer a choice.
Therefore, Luis had to improvise. He pulled into the QuikTrip located on Hot Wells Boulevard and called 911. At the time, he didn’t believe his son was coming that quickly.
Soon, his beliefs were proven to be false. He, too, felt his son’s head crowning. So, he exited the vehicle from the driver’s door, circled the car, and opened the passenger’s door.
A Son Is Born
As soon as he opened the door, Mariah “shot the baby out,” she said. The woman added, “he caught him. [The] umbilical cord wrapped around the neck, so he had to undo it. Baby took a first breath, started crying.”
With 911 still on the line, Luis managed to help deliver his son in his car, in front of the QuikTrip. Eventually, first responders arrived and managed to assist the couple.
While terrified, both mother and father welcomed their baby without breaking a sweat. Luis got to cut the umbilical cord, and Mariah and their child, Luis III, were taken to the hospital. Luis, meanwhile, was moved to the core, especially due to the date: Father’s Day.
“It’s like the best gift any father could have,” he said. “Especially delivering him. And he’s named after me, too, so that makes it even sweeter.”