Living 45 minutes from the nearest hospital, Katie Kinna wanted to leave in plenty of time for the birth of her second baby. With her ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs all over the place and being ʀᴇᴀssᴜʀᴇᴅ on the phone by the midwives that she was still in the early stages of ʟᴀʙᴏʀ, Katie continued ʟᴀʙᴏʀɪɴɢ at home.
But just 40 minutes later, she and her partner were racing to the hospital, with her baby well on the way. And while they made it to the hospital, they didn’t make it inside. Katie gave birth in the car, at the hospital doors, with her partner Paul capturing images of the unexpected moment.
Katie and Paul were already parents to their adorable son Bodhi when they decided to try for a second baby last year. Both pregnancies ended in ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs. It prompted Katie to see a specialist just in case, but the next week she fell pregnant again.
Katie started to get ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs that ᴘᴇʀɪᴏᴅɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ woke her from sleep.
Her ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs were anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes apart throughout the day, and by 2 p.m., they were more consistently closer to 10 minutes. “By 5 p.m., they were between four and six minutes apart, and the ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs were starting to make me ᴍᴏᴀɴ with each one, so definitely ɪɴᴛᴇɴsɪꜰʏɪɴɢ, and I was thinking I needed to make contact with the ʙɪʀᴛʜɪɴɢ sᴜɪᴛᴇ.
“The ʙɪʀᴛʜɪɴɢ sᴜɪᴛᴇ was called, and as we live about 45 minutes from the hospital, they wanted to make sure I had time to get there. I was told I was still only in early ʟᴀʙᴏʀ and to ʜᴀɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ for as long as possible.
With the pair on their way to the hospital, Katie’s ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs were just two to three minutes apart, and she was ʙᴇɢɢɪɴɢ Paul to get them to the hospital stat.
“Minutes away from the hospital, as the ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs were coming in hot, I was ᴍᴏᴀɴɪɴɢ, and there was that ɢʀᴜɴᴛ with the ᴍᴏᴀɴ, so it was time to start ᴘᴜsʜɪɴɢ. I turned to my partner in my low ɢʀᴜɴᴛɪɴɢ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ and said, I’ve got to ᴘᴜsʜ – with a worried look from my partner that highly suggested to me, ‘No no, don’t ᴘᴜsʜ, don’t ᴘᴜsʜ. We’re nearly there. Yeah, right, babe!
“We got to the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ ᴘᴜʟʟ-ᴜᴘ ʙᴀʏ while practically standing in the passenger side of the car; my legs were sʜᴀᴋɪɴɢ, and I could feel the baby’s ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴄʀᴏᴡɴɪɴɢ. Then it ʜɪᴛ me: this was it; it was happening. Right here, right now, I’m about to ᴘᴜsʜ ᴏᴜᴛ my baby in my car.
“The midwives raced over and opened the door; they were so encouraging and cheering me on that they allowed me to keep doing what I was doing. Within two ᴘᴜsʜᴇs, my baby’s ʜᴇᴀᴅ was ᴏᴜᴛ. At this very moment, I was so relieved as I knew that within a ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ of minutes, I would be finally meeting my baby after 41 weeks.
“The next ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ I ᴘᴜsʜᴇᴅ with all I had left, and she was ᴏᴜᴛ, there she was, so fresh and new with her ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ sᴀᴄ covering her face. The midwife ᴘᴜʟʟᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴏꜰꜰ her face and told me as she ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ, she was born in her sᴀᴄ, which just ʙʀᴏᴋᴇ as her body ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ.
“My partner ᴄᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏʀᴅ, and I birthed the ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ while still sitting in the car. The car was still actually running all this time. The midwives were so quick-acting and calm, exactly what I needed during the ᴡɪʟᴅᴇsᴛ ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇ of my life.
“I was taken up to the ʙɪʀᴛʜɪɴɢ sᴜɪᴛᴇ in a wheelchair not long after. I experienced sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ-ᴅᴇɢʀᴇᴇ ᴛᴇᴀʀs, but all in all, I was feeling good, a little tired but so empowered with what I had just accomplished.
But I’m so glad it’s all over and our baby girl Louella is here safe and sound.”
