By Jeremy Olson
The Pioneer Press
BURNSVILLE, Minn. — Baby born en route to hospital — Just blocks from Fairview Ridges Hospital, Toni Jones was in labor with a titanic urge to push.
The expectant father, Brad Swager, kept his left hand on the steering wheel of their small SUV and reached down with his right to feel the baby’s head coming out.
“Oh!” he said. “You’re kidding.”
By the time they sped into the Burnsville hospital’s parking lot about 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, Jones had given birth to a baby girl.
It was the second “en route” delivery in four days for Ridges, an unusual occurrence for hospital staff.
“It doesn’t happen a lot, but some deliveries are very fast,” said Debbi Fligor, a nurse who responded to Jones’ delivery as part of a neonatal rapid response team. “Sometimes, you can’t quite time them right.”
Details of the other birth were limited, but Swager said it apparently took place Sunday in a van parked outside the hospital. That didn’t sound so bad to him.
“It’s a lot more roomier,” he said, “than what we had.”
Fligor found Swager pale but calm in the hospital lobby, with the mother and child still in the vehicle. They rushed outside so Fligor could warm the newborn girl with blankets and make sure her airway was clear. A doctor was already there to cut the umbilical cord.
State records show 119 babies were born en route to Minnesota hospitals in 2002-2006, an average of 24 per year. It was rare for two to take place on the same week in the entire state, much less in the same county or city.
Fathers, paramedics and even mothers-in-law were listed as the delivery attendants. One-third of those birth records list personal vehicles as the birthplace, while the rest list ambulances or are nonspecific.
Most occurred in the Twin Cities. Half occurred between midnight and 7 a.m.
Jones and Swager live in Eagan, just 10 miles from the hospital, and thought they had plenty of time. They were leaving already when Jones’ water broke. Swager said he drove fast on Interstate 35E, discouraging Jones in the last few miles from pushing until she couldn’t hold out.
Their daughter was born at 6 pounds, 15 ounces. She was a couple of weeks premature and needed supplemental oxygen for a few hours as well as antibiotics to prevent any infection risk.
The couple named her Sarah, resisting the temptation to name her Kia after the vehicle in which she was delivered.