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Woman Gives Birth In Friends’ Car, Left Confused After They Start Ignoring Her
Pregnancy is full of surprises, and sometimes things just don’t go the way you plan. For some women, labor can go from feeling a bit uncomfortable to “my water just broke” in what feels like seconds.
Then there are other possibilities that you don’t account for — maybe your partner isn’t around, and maybe you don’t even think to call an ambulance because, well, who expects it to happen so suddenly.
You’d think moments like these would bring people closer and show the best of friendship and community. But a woman was in for a surprise when she unexpectedly went into labor and gave birth in her friend’s car on the way to the hospital.
But soon after the incident, the friend cut ties with her blaming her for damaging the car.
RELATED:
A woman unexpectedly went into labor in her friend’s car
Image credits: AltrendoImages (not the actual image)
They were on the way to the hospital when the baby was born in the car itself
Image credits: Aditya Romansa (not the actual image)
Image credits: freepik (not the actual image)
The woman offered to pay and fix the car but the friend stopped talking to her
Image credits: freepik (not the actual image)
Image credits: ThrowRA_CarBaby
Labor can sometimes progress really quickly
Giving birth outside a hospital is rare, but it does happen. There’s even a name for it — “born before arrival,” or BBA for short, for any baby delivery that happens before a woman reaches a hospital, a birth center, or her planned homebirth with a midwife.
It can be either at home, in a public place, or in a car or ambulance while the mother is on the way to hospital.
In the past month alone, there have been several news stories from around the world — a woman gave birth beside a highway during a winter storm in Pittsburgh just two days ago. Last month, a woman delivered her baby inside a driverless Waymo taxi in San Francisco.
Labor can speed up faster than anyone expects, and sometimes women don’t have the time to get to a hospital.
Living far from a hospital, being alone, or even just misjudging the timing can become a life-changing emergency.
Research shows that about 0.5 % of all births in the UK are unplanned out‑of‑hospital deliveries, where the birth happens without a qualified midwife or obstetrician present.
Not every BBA comes with major risks, but there can be complications. Babies born outside a hospital are more likely to be premature or have a lower birth weight, which is why stories of healthy babies after a car birth should be all the more celebrated.
“One of the primary risks, for the baby, is hypothermia. This occurs when the baby’s temperature drops below 36.5°C. Newborns lose body heat quickly; BBAs can also occur in the car or outside, where it isn’t possible to create any kind of warm environment for the baby to be born into,” says Dr Laura Goodwin, an associate professor in Emergency Care, at UWE Bristol.
Her team is working to understand which women are most at risk of giving birth before arriving at hospital, and how best to make the situation easier and safer for them.
Support during a medical emergency can make it feel a lot less overwhelming
In unexpected births, friends, family, and even bystanders often play an important role — they might help with practical things, like driving you to the hospital, keeping the space safe if you accidently go into delivery, or making sure emergency services know what’s going on.
They can also offer emotional support and help you remain calm.
In the Reddit story, the woman went into labor while her partner was away — this wasn’t anyone’s fault because sometimes emergencies happen despite everyone’s best intentions.
What’s needed in situations like this is empathy and understanding, even after the delivery. Instead of getting angry about the car, showing care and compassion would have helped everyone navigate an intense moment together.
The woman answered some questions asked by readers
Some people shared their own experiences and advice with her
Comments poured in with different opinions on the issue
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Bookworm 3 hours ago
OP and wife planned very poorly. They should have either planned to call an ambulance if OP went into labor while wife was gone or wife should have rented a car so OP and Alice could take theirs in case she went into labor. While delivering in the car wasn't planned it doesn't negate the fact that OP and wife didn't have a plan in place for this reasonably predictable situation (going into labor while wife was gone). I'd be upset too if I felt like I had to use my car to transport OP, was out the use of my car, didn't know if it was salvageable or not, if not whether insurance would cover it, and then OP makes a seemingly joke about paying for cleaning it. Like it wasn't the scene of a major biohazard accident.
Upstaged75 5 hours ago (edited)
Some people seem to have no compassion. Obviously the woman didn't mean to give birth in the car. It's not like she had a choice or knew it was going to happen on the way to the hospital. 🙄 Yes, she should pay whatever it costs to clean/replace/fix it. I don't really think she owes them a new car though - that's ridiculous. It does sound like the husband is having a temper tantrum and telling his wife she needs to cut off her friend. Which is stupid if they want her pay them. He's being a massive d!ckhead.
Bookworm 3 hours ago
Depends on what a professional cleaning service says. As some commentors pointed out car could be totaled by this. It's a major biohazard and there's risk of anything not properly cleaned causing problems later on. If it's totaled then yes OP owes them a car. While it was an accident OP and wife should have had the foresight to keep their car available in case OP needed to go to the hospital just in case this happened on the way.
Load More Replies...
Littlemiss 2 hours ago (edited)
As someone pointed out, the car is currently unusable because of the birth happening in it. It could be the difference between having access to getting to work, dropping their children at school etc. Its not just a minor inconvenience, its going to cost a lot of money to clean up of its possible. OP pointed out she doesn't like the husband, and he doesn't like her either. I think there's a lot of information being left out here. Yes OP had a baby, yes she and her wife did not plan or seek help. They have a new bundle of joy. The ex friends now have a vehicle they cannot use, debt to sort it out and may actually struggling as a result of the actions of OP. She admits jokingly saying do you want me to pay? The rest of the people are jumping to spousal a*buse because the husband is upset.
Bookworm 3 hours ago
OP and wife planned very poorly. They should have either planned to call an ambulance if OP went into labor while wife was gone or wife should have rented a car so OP and Alice could take theirs in case she went into labor. While delivering in the car wasn't planned it doesn't negate the fact that OP and wife didn't have a plan in place for this reasonably predictable situation (going into labor while wife was gone). I'd be upset too if I felt like I had to use my car to transport OP, was out the use of my car, didn't know if it was salvageable or not, if not whether insurance would cover it, and then OP makes a seemingly joke about paying for cleaning it. Like it wasn't the scene of a major biohazard accident.
Upstaged75 5 hours ago (edited)
Some people seem to have no compassion. Obviously the woman didn't mean to give birth in the car. It's not like she had a choice or knew it was going to happen on the way to the hospital. 🙄 Yes, she should pay whatever it costs to clean/replace/fix it. I don't really think she owes them a new car though - that's ridiculous. It does sound like the husband is having a temper tantrum and telling his wife she needs to cut off her friend. Which is stupid if they want her pay them. He's being a massive d!ckhead.
Bookworm 3 hours ago
Depends on what a professional cleaning service says. As some commentors pointed out car could be totaled by this. It's a major biohazard and there's risk of anything not properly cleaned causing problems later on. If it's totaled then yes OP owes them a car. While it was an accident OP and wife should have had the foresight to keep their car available in case OP needed to go to the hospital just in case this happened on the way.
Load More Replies... Littlemiss 2 hours ago (edited)
As someone pointed out, the car is currently unusable because of the birth happening in it. It could be the difference between having access to getting to work, dropping their children at school etc. Its not just a minor inconvenience, its going to cost a lot of money to clean up of its possible. OP pointed out she doesn't like the husband, and he doesn't like her either. I think there's a lot of information being left out here. Yes OP had a baby, yes she and her wife did not plan or seek help. They have a new bundle of joy. The ex friends now have a vehicle they cannot use, debt to sort it out and may actually struggling as a result of the actions of OP. She admits jokingly saying do you want me to pay? The rest of the people are jumping to spousal a*buse because the husband is upset.
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