Sure, you may plan to give birth somewhere in particular — hospital, home, or otherwise — but as you well know, babies aren't the most cooperative sorts. When they want out, they want OUT! As proof, check out the craziest places moms have given birth.
What's the craziest place you've heard of a woman giving birth?
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On a New York Subway
One night, Wanda Dueno was riding the subway when she went into labor — underground, trapped in a tunnel, with no one else on the car with her. Yikes! She hit the emergency button to notify the conductor, but even he couldn't get there fast enough before her baby boy arrived. He was named Libasse, although his sister astutely suggested they call him "Metrocard."
A Tree
Giving birth in a tree isn't some new "natural mom" trend; rather Sofia Pedro had climbed into the branches to escape a flood in Mozambique, Africa. She held on and birthed a baby girl up there before the duo was helicopter-lifted to safety.
In a Car
But here's the clincher: the mom was driving when she gave birth! Minnesota mother-to-be Amanda McBride was heading to the hospital with her husband (who suffers seizures and can't drive), yet halfway there, her water broke, so her husband grabbed the wheel. McBride barely had time to pull down her pants before the baby arrived.
At a NASCAR Race Track
Shawna Arnold and her boyfriend were racing to the hospital to give birth, but not fast enough. So the couple made a pit stop in the parking lot of the nearby New Hampshire Motor Speedway race track to give birth. Luckily they had EMTs on hand to help with the delivery, which sounds way more uplifting than mopping up body parts after a crash.
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In a Library
Libraries are such fusty, quiet places, we're not sure what they must have thought when Dominique Trevino ran in there to give birth. Luckily she didn't make too much ruckus; two pushes were all it took to deliver her baby girl at the library, with security guards lending a helping hand.
At McDonald's
Would you like a burger and fries with that baby? (Sorry, we can't help it.) Danille Miller was working her shift at this fast food joint when she felt a sudden urge to the run to the bathroom. A few minutes later, her baby boy Austin was born at McDonald's — an establishment that can now boast fast food AND fast delivery!
In an Elevator
When Ninfa Ramirez went into labor, she hightailed it to the hospital … only they sent her home, saying she wasn't ready. Well, she sure proved them wrong as soon as she got home and was taking the elevator back to her apartment … and wound up giving birth in the elevator.
In a Hospital Elevator
Think you're fine once you make it to the hospital? Not necessarily. Katie Thacker found this out the hard way when she got stuck in an elevator between floors at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington. Luckily, Thacker's midwife and nurse were with the mom, and delivered her baby in the elevator. While it took two more hours to get the doors open, the dad managed to crawl down in so he could cut the umbilical cord.
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In Jail
Talk about an officious start in life: When an unidentified 29-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of public drunkenness, the Santa Cruz County Jailhouse kept her overnight, then released her the next day. Yet before she could set foot outside the building to freedom, she went into labor prematurely. The jailhouse guards jumped in to help, and when the baby stopped breathing, they resuscitated her before paramedics arrived. In other words, it actually sounds like a good thing this mom gave birth in jail!
At a Post Office
Sonia Marina Nascimento popped into a post office in England to buy some mobile phone credits … but got way more than she was expecting when she gave birth to a baby girl. The postmaster even put the baby on the scales and claimed she weighed "the equivalent of £8.22 first class parcel." Now that's a special delivery!
At Her Own Wedding
First comes love, then comes marriage … then the baby, right? Not for one French bride who gave birth at her own wedding a week before her official due date. Mere minutes after tying the knot, the blushing bride said she didn't feel well and excused herself from the festivities. The baby arrived shortly afterward. Moral of the story: don't plan your wedding so close to your due date, ladies.
At the Mall
Hey, there's always time to squeeze in a little shopping at the mall before giving birth, right? Well, maybe not, if you ask Chasity Davis, who went into labor while sitting on a couch at Michigan's Fashion Square Mall. Luckily a women's clothing store provided blankets, and a nail salon rubber gloves to a stranger who helped with the delivery while on the phone with a dispatcher.
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On the Front Lawn
Talk about a show for the neighbors! Jennifer Coffman was just about to get in her car with her husband and doula in Ann Arbor, Michigan, when her labor pangs came on strong. So she just plopped onto her lawn and, five pushes later, had a healthy baby girl with the help of her husband (wielding a flashlight) and her doula (who snapped a pic and recounted to the press, "It looks like a camping trip!").
Disneyland
Margarita Grandos was about to ride Space Mountain with her husband but decided to stay behind. And good thing too: she went into labor and gave birth right at Disneyland to a baby girl.
In Front of a Firehouse
A firehouse sure seems like a decent place to give birth, only Alicia Weintraub from Calabasas, California, couldn't make it those last few steps. Instead, she gave birth in the firehouse driveway on a stretcher.
On a Plane
There's a reason pregnant women near their due dates don't fly, but that didn't help Aida Alamillo, who went into pre-term labor at 40,000 feet while flying from Manila to San Francisco. Luckily, three nurses on board helped deliver the baby on the plane. He was named Kevin Raymar Francis Domingo, the "Francis" standing for San Francisco.
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In an Art Gallery
Birth is messy for an art gallery … but New York performance artist Marni Kotak decided to deliver her baby Ajax there anyway. Her reason? Birth is the "highest form of art." Er, not sure if we'd agree, but we'll bet guests attended to make snooty comments about it.
Twins on Two Different Highways
Giving birth on the side of one highway is crazy enough … but two? That's exactly what Long Island resident Siobhan Anderson did when she went into labor and couldn’t make it to the hospital. So her husband pulled over and she gave birth to the first of two twins … then they decided to continue to the hospital to give birth to their second son, but had to pull over again.
Backseat of a Cab
Hey, when you need to get somewhere fast, you can't beat a New York City cab driver! That must be what Sarah Steinhaus was thinking when she flagged down Osama Hassan's taxi and asked him to floor it to a nearby hospital to give birth. Only then traffic slowed to a halt, and Steinhaus's contractions got worse … luckily her brother-in-law, a med student, was in the cab to help deliver a baby boy named William. We just hope they gave that cabbie a HUGE tip.
On the Internet
Fine, this mom was technically at home, but Nancy Salgueiro also set up a video camera in her living room in Canada so that she could live stream her birth online for all to see. More than 2,000 people registered to watch.
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