Photo: Getty Images
When someone is expecting a baby, they usually have a birth plan. Some choose a home birth while others prefer going to a hospital. However, the plan for one expectant mother in Tennessee went out the window when she went into labor and ended up giving birth on the side of the interstate, according to FOX 17.
Gayla Thompson had been experiencing contractions all day Tuesday (June 15) but didn't think it was enough for a trip to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, especially since hospital rules kept her son from coming with her and her husband. By Wednesday, however, the pain was more intense. She called her husband, Ryan, home from work and they began making their way to the hospital.
"Everything happened so fast," she said.
About halfway to the hospital, Gayla realized they wouldn't make it in time. That's when she told Ryan to pull over on the side of Interstate 440 and call 911. Recalling the actions taken by doctors during the birth of his first child, and assisted by a 911 operator, Ryan helped deliver their second son: Carson. After a few scary moments when the newborn wasn't crying, baby Carson finally made a noise.
"She started rubbing and patting his feet and he finally let out a cry," said Ryan. "It's the sweetest sound you can hear."
Despite the happy outcome, little Carson's birth didn't exactly go as planned. Already the mother of a 5-year-old boy she delivered without medication, Gayla knew what she wanted when having her second child.
"My first-born was all natural and after that experience, this one was supposed to be delivered with all the drugs," she told the news outlet, laughing.
Since the ordeal, the family are resting and recovering at the hospital.
Gayla, a professional newborn photographer, shared photos of her own son with FOX 17, which can be seen here.