A South Carolina woman wasn’t planning on delivering her baby in a hospital, but she never imagined that she would give birth in the parking lot at an Old Navy.
Last Wednesday, birth photographer Katie Gaeta said that she began having contractions. She and her husband, Tony, then loaded up their van to head over to a birthing center in Sunset Hills, according to PEOPLE.
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The couple drove toward the location with their doula following them in the vehicle behind.
“Having gone through two hospital births and being in the birthing community, I just feel like it was something I could do and knew it would be very empowering,” she said while talking with KMOV.
The situation took a turn when there was a massive traffic jam on the interstate.
“Everything was fine, we were on I-270 but as 270 goes we realized there was a traffic jam,” she said. “We realized at I-44 that we were not going to make it and I was trying to hold strong and my water broke in the car, right in the front seat of the Honda Odyssey.”
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Tony then pulled the car off the interstate and pulled into the parking lot of a nearby Old Navy.
“She was not waiting,” Tony said. “So I got out of the car and I leaned the chair back and the next thing I know, Katie is holding Emma.”
The couple named their daughter Emma Jupiter. She was born right in the front seat at 7 lbs. and 15 ounces.
“I think it’s amazing when people get their plan to work out and it wasn’t our plan, but we still got our natural birth,” Katie said.
