Mum. Dad. And four kids in the back. Just your typical trip in the car, really.
Oh, except mum’s screaming from the front seat as she HAS A FREAKIN’ BABY!
Yep. This is the birth story (and viral video) of Corbin Swinney, baby # 5 for Texas couple, Dominque and Alexis Swinney.
Clearly no stranger to giving birth, Alexis was well aware that she was in labour and knew it was time to high tail it to the labour ward. So after labouring at home for 12 hours, she and Dominique piled the troops in the car with the intention on delivering their daughter at hospital, just 15 minutes away from their home.
But their little girl had different plans.
‘Oh, she had the baby. Oh my gosh’
Midway through the trip, Alexis realises she isn’t going to make it. Despite her husband requesting, “Can you wait, like two minutes,” (No, husband. I cannot), she bends over in pain, pulls down her undies, grabs the seat and out comes baby!
Meanwhile, her kids chill out in the back seat.
Yup. Mum just had a baby.
Awesome. No need to spend the day pacing around the hospital.
Hey, I wonder if we can hit up a Maccas drive-through on the way home?
Sounds unbelievable, right? Good thing Dominque filmed it! And then posted the raw footage on social media for thousands of people to watch.
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A family affair
Reflecting on the unexpected birth, Alexis writes,
There was something beyond special, about getting to deliver my own baby. No doctors or nurses, no lights, or busy people, no one interrupting a moment that should be the most special moments for families as they bring life into the world. “
Oh, except the traffic lights. And the four kids watching from the back seat.
‘It was crazy’
During the incredibly moment, Alexis reveals,
The pain was there, but the joy and peace that followed in those minutes we got to spend alone with our sweet girl was more rewarding than anything I could have asked for.
People are shocked and often apologize that I didn’t make it to the hospital. They don’t understand that I just experienced something unrivalled to anything I could have imagined.
I witnessed my body take over and a baby be born into my hands. My body is not swollen, and I have no tears. I had my husband and children around me, and for 5 minutes, we embraced everything that happened without any interruption. Our family has preferred a unique chaos. It was crazy. But it was amazing.”
Chaotic. Crazy. Amazing. And definitely a car ride to remember!
Alexis isn’t the first mumma to give birth in a car. Check out the incredible footage and photography from this mum, who also didn’t quite make it to the maternity ward.
