By Azia Branson
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
FORT WORTH, Texas — One North Texas baby will have an exciting story to tell about his birth when he grows up.
WFAA.com reported that Daryl Jerden and his wife, Rachel, were at home Wednesday when her contractions started getting closer together and they decided to go to the hospital, just to be safe.
At first, Daryl was speeding but trying not to go too fast until Rachel’s water broke and he realized his baby was coming, in the car, WFAA reported.
He called 911 and immediately MedStar ambulance was on the way to help the couple deliver their baby.
With all the construction on Interstate 35W and Loop 820, it took some time to find a safe place to pull over, but the baby didn’t feel like waiting, the couple told WFAA.com.
“I saw his butt first,” Rachel said in an interview with WFAA.com. “At first, I was terrified. I’m not going to lie.”
A few minutes later, their son was born in the front seat of their car. Rachel told WFAA that he was slightly cold and quiet, but he was breathing.
“The paramedics, the firefighters and the staff at Baylor, they are all incredible,” Daryl told WFAA.com.
The Jerden’s son, Brantley, is expected to be fine soon but in order to help with breathing he was placed in the NICU, according to WFAA.com.
This isn’t the first baby to come into the world roadside this year. On July 4, Lacey and Jeff Smith were on their way to a Cleburne birthing center but the baby didn’t want to wait that long.
By the time the Somervell County Fire Department arrived to the car along Texas 144, just south of Glen Rose, the baby was already delivered.
The baby girl, Phoebe, was fine and officials were able to provide post-delivery care and give the family a ride to birthing center, Fire Chief Mark Crawford said.
A couple weeks later, Caleb and Destiny Hall were were driving to the hospital along U.S. 377 in Benbrook when Tarrant County deputy, Craig Diebold, put his lights on in order to slow the couple down. Once he realized they were having a baby, he flipped on his lights and sirens in order to escort the couple to a downtown Fort Worth hospital.
The baby had different plans.
The couple pulled over near a gas station after Destiny told her husband that the baby was coming. Diebold joined them and was able to assist Caleb with the delivery of a healthy baby girl.
“It was an amazing moment,” Diebold told the Star-Telegram in July. “It’s probably the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.”