For pregnant mothers across the world right now, the thought of giving birth during the global health crisis is anxiety-inducing (to say the least). So is heading to the hospital, at a time when emergency rooms are filled with dangerously contagious patients and many hospital systems are struggling to treat the virus, let alone contain it. But for one UK mom-to-be, her little guy was coming so fast and furiously over the weekend she didn't even make it to the hospital — and thanks to a series of unfortunate events, she wound up giving birth in the middle of a supermarket parking lot.
Hannah Howells, 33, of Hampshire, England, went into labor on Sunday, according to Yahoo! News.
Her husband, Andy, 37, was rushing her to Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton, where they hoped she would give birth safely with the help of doctors and nurses.
But it didn't take long for Hannah to realize her baby had other plans.
“We were probably 10 minutes into our journey and I said to my husband, ‘The baby is coming right now’,” Hannah told Yahoo! News.
And she did mean right now.
Andy quickly pulled off into the nearest parking lot, which just so happened to belong to Sainsbury's, a UK grocery chain.
Shortly after they did, they spotted something in the distance — something that gave them hope they wouldn't be giving birth alone in a parking lot after all.
“We saw an ambulance coming in the other direction," Hannah recalled.
As it turns out, the ambulance driver saw them, too. (Well, sort of ...)
"Andy was trying to wave, but they quite rightly thought we were clapping for the amazing work they’re doing," Hannah explained.
The mix-up is kind of hilarious — and the kind of thing that would only happen right now, during this unique time. With frontline workers getting praised and applauded daily, it's easy to see how they might have mistaken the signal for something else.
Once the ambulance drove on, the Howells realized they were on their own.
“We parked up and called the Labour Line and then 999 and the amazing lady who took the call talked my husband through delivering our baby," Hannah shared. “[The baby] was already halfway out on the front seat of the car and I still had my seat belt on.”
Their baby boy, later named Wilf, arrived just before 11 a.m., and once the Howells made it to the hospital, he weighed in at a healthy 6 lbs., 7oz.
“It’s all been an absolute whirlwind and we feel like we’re in a bubble," Hannah said. "It’s so surreal.”
In the end, the Howells didn't feel like they were giving birth alone at all. Turns out, their parking lot delivery attracted a lot of attention — and support.
"People kindly offered help, the paramedics arrived, the store manager closed the car park and offered us anything we needed and I was even given a bunch of flowers meant for somebody else," Hannah said.
In a humorous twist, the paramedics who arrived were the ones who whizzed on by the first time.
When the Howells dialed 999, the UK's emergency assistance line, the ambulance was alerted to the scene.
"I’ll never forget hearing ‘congratulations, your baby was born at 10.47am’ down the phone," Hannah shared. "It was magical and everyone was incredible. People really rallied and it was such a special moment for us."
