By Amanda Thomason August 18, 2021 at 2:41pm
Early Tuesday morning, a couple in Tampa, Florida, jumped into their car and headed for the hospital. The woman was in labor, but things progressed quickly and it didn’t look like they would make it.
The father pulled into the parking lot of a 7-Eleven and dialed 911, explaining the situation they were in.
When officers with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene shortly after the call was placed at 5:30 a.m., the woman was clearly about to have the baby right there in the car.
In bodycam footage, you can hear the father saying, “It’s crowning.”
“Alright, ma’am, you can just push,” said Deputy Jordan Ream, who ran to the passenger’s side of the car where the woman was in labor.
He continued to encourage her, saying that a rescue team had arrived and would be attending to her soon.
“You’re doing alright. You’re doing great,” Ream told her.
After a few moments, the baby boy made his debut and immediately let the world know what he thought of the whole ordeal, crying loudly as he was placed on his mother’s chest.
The new dad was relieved to have had backup and thanked Ream profusely.
“I really appreciate it,” the father said. “I was about to lose my mind. I have never been through that!”
Ream said he had never done anything like it before either.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office shared on Facebook that the mother and baby were “transported to the hospital and are doing great.”
Sheriff Chad Chronister applauded his deputy’s efforts as well.
“Without hesitation, Deputy Ream jumped into action to assist this mother in labor,” he said in a statement. “While a car is hardly a place anyone would want to give birth in, Deputy Ream repeatedly reassured the new mom that she was in good hands.
“Immediately, his training kicked in and he was able to deliver the healthy baby while keeping mom safe too. I wish Mom, Dad, and their new baby boy all the happiness. Congratulations!”
This birth story is certainly one these parents will remember and tell for years to come!
Amanda holds an MA in Rhetoric and TESOL from Cal Poly Pomona. After teaching composition and logic for several years, she’s strayed into writing full-time and especially enjoys animal-related topics.
As of January 2019, Amanda has written over 1,000 stories for The Western Journal but doesn’t really know how. Graduating from California State Polytechnic University with a MA in Rhetoric/Composition and TESOL, she wrote her thesis about metacognitive development and the skill transfer between reading and writing in freshman students.
She has a slew of interests that keep her busy, including trying out new recipes, enjoying nature, discussing ridiculous topics, reading, drawing, people watching, developing curriculum, and writing bios. Sometimes she has red hair, sometimes she has brown hair, sometimes she’s had teal hair.
With a book on productive communication strategies in the works, Amanda is also writing and illustrating some children’s books with her husband, Edward.
Location
Austin, Texas
Languages Spoken
English und ein bißchen Deutsch
Topics of Expertise
Faith, Animals, Cooking