Expectant Mom Gives Birth While Standing In Her Driveway With Help Of EMTs

Nov 03, 2022 by apost team

What can any parent expect when they're expecting? Months spent painting the nursery, pictures tracking the progress of development, arguments over names, middle names, family names, and what the little bundle's initials might spell. And finally, a perhaps panicked drive to the nearest hospital. Ideally, with a police escort, no traffic, and enough time to make it to the delivery room. Of course, giving birth does always go so smoothly. As one Ohio couple learned when delivering their fourth child, sometimes there isn't even time to pull one's shoes on or to start the car. 

While Alyson Michael was, of course, expecting to deliver her daughter in October of 2022 and had some idea of what she was going to go through during labor, given she had three sons already, this Westfield Township mother experienced a truly unexpected delivery. 

Her daughter was due to be born on Oct. 13, 2022. The little one, however, had other plans as to how and when she was going to enter the world. Unlike her brothers, who had all been born in hospitals, the youngest one seemed to want to be born in the comfort of her own home. 

While Michael began to feel some pains at around 1:30 in the morning, she didn't progress into full labor until a few hours later, when it was deemed too late to rush to the hospital. With their delivery room in Akron, miles away, the parents called 911 and prepared for their baby girl. Father, John Smith, was the only one on hand to help deliver the baby in their house on Greenwich Road. 

Luckily, Medina County deputies were on the phone helping the couple through their Herculean task. Michael had gone into active labor at 3:20 AM and realized the immediacy of her situation. When speaking about her ordeal, Michael told ABC 5 that she'd known in a way that they weren't making it to the hospital, just not that she'd end up giving birth in the driveway. 

In recounting those wee hours of the morning, she relayed, "I was like at the bedroom door and that's when I felt it and I was like, 'Call 911 and get me downstairs,' and that's when I knew we weren't making it." 

She continued, laughing at her daughter's unscheduled, dramatic entrance, "She was wanting to make an appearance. That's for sure. She has three brothers she has to keep up with."

While a four-person crew from Westfield Fire and Rescue was en route, the couple would have to be talked through the labor until they arrived. Firefighter and EMT Brandy Crall recalled coaching Michael and Smith. He emphasized the importance of keeping the expectant mother calm. "She was still standing. We were not able to get her in a laying down position," Crall recalled. "I lifted up her pajama shirt and there was the head." 

It was 3:47 in the morning and as soon as Crall moved the umbilical cord, "she landed right in (his) hands." And just like that, Clara Mae Smith was born in the driveway. Her parents have since reported that she's five pounds and doing well. Michael also mentioned the unforgettable role of the EMTs, saying, "They definitely have a part in Clara's life. That's for sure."

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Do you have any crazy stories from your labors? Let us know — and be sure to pass this article on to friends, family, as well as anyone else who would be interested to read this!