A pregnant Kentucky mom was running an errand with her kids when her new baby decided to make an early entrance. With her due date still three weeks away, Heather Skaats blew off her light contractions because she was in labor for hours with her other five kids. “I thought I wouldn’t have a baby in my arms until eight or 10 hours later,” she says. But her baby had other ideas.
When Heather’s contractions suddenly intensified, at first she started driving faster, thinking she could still make it home for her planned water birth. But when she realized there wouldn’t be time, she pulled over, assured her children that everything was fine, and got out of the van with her phone. She was in a squat position on the ground when her water broke and says she didn’t even have to push and her baby boy was in her hands about 20 seconds later.
And after delivering her newborn son all by herself, this mama slowly got back in the van and drove home - with her baby still attached to her placenta inside her body. “I wrapped him in a blanket and drove with him close to my chest,” Heather says, adding that her kids were pretty quiet on the ride and were probably in shock. Back at home, she delivered the placenta in the shower before her midwife even arrived. Despite his crazy birth and having to pick grass off the yet-to-be-named baby boy, he was healthy and weighed seven pounds. Mom credits her previous home births for helping her trust her body and remain calm and says, “Knowing the process really helped.”
Source: Today