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“I Don’t Know How To Solve This”: Woman Gives Birth In Friend’s Car, Her Husband Can’t Contain His Anger
Pregnant woman sitting in a car, holding her belly, depicting a woman giving birth in friends' car situation.

“I Don’t Know How To Solve This”: Woman Gives Birth In Friend’s Car, Her Husband Can’t Contain His Anger

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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

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    Image credits: Aditya Romansa (not the actual image)

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    Image credits: freepik (not the actual image)

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    The woman offered to pay and fix the car but the friend stopped talking to her

    Image credits: freepik (not the actual image)

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

    Image credits: pch.vector (not the actual image)

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    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.

    Image credits: DC Studio (not the actual image)

    The woman answered some questions asked by readers

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    Some people shared their own experiences and advice with her

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    Comments poured in with different opinions on the issue

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    Ridhima Shukla

    Ridhima Shukla

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

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    This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself.

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    Ridhima Shukla

    Ridhima Shukla

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself.

    What do you think ?
    Upstaged75
    Community Member
    1 month ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    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.

    Bonesko
    Community Member
    1 month ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yeah, I doubt she was thinking "hey I'm just gonna pop out this baby in the car real quick and then grab some McDonald's". She might not have known that the baby was coming now, like RIGHT NOW! And calling and ambulance isn't always the quickest option. Is the interior of the car trashed? Probably, but it's not like the actual car was totaled. And yeah, if it was me, and my friend, my car, I might think to myself 'Motherf*cker', but I would definitely not ghost her. Mama is ok, baby is ok, and they will always have an awesome story to tell. I do hope OP and the friend are able to reconcile.

    Load More Replies...
    Margaret Shannon
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I don’t understand the criticism this woman is receiving. She didn’t recognize signs of imminent labor because she'd been feeling discomfort for “ages.” She unintentionally made a mess, admitted the mess was her responsibility, and she offered (“lighthearted but sincere”) to make it right. Sure, she would probably have been wiser to summon an ambulance but she didn’t. She might not have been thinking clearly (because baby brain, or excitement, or…), the friend may have dissuaded her (“it's no trouble, I'll take you), or she may be a victim of US health uncaring. Don’t know. The point is she tried to make it right, has not refused any reasonable request, and the car owners have refused to discuss the matter and have blocked further contact. What the aitch-eee-double-hockey-sticks is she supposed to do?

    Heffalump
    Community Member
    1 month ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    'Friends' are really not friends at all. And insurance should cover the cleanup, she should only cover the deductible. And that is the only thing she needs to do. She certainly needs to have nothing to do with them in future.

    person (i think)
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If insurance covers the cleaning, then the insurance costs will go up afterwards, costing extra money every month

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    Upstaged75
    Community Member
    1 month ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    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.

    Bonesko
    Community Member
    1 month ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yeah, I doubt she was thinking "hey I'm just gonna pop out this baby in the car real quick and then grab some McDonald's". She might not have known that the baby was coming now, like RIGHT NOW! And calling and ambulance isn't always the quickest option. Is the interior of the car trashed? Probably, but it's not like the actual car was totaled. And yeah, if it was me, and my friend, my car, I might think to myself 'Motherf*cker', but I would definitely not ghost her. Mama is ok, baby is ok, and they will always have an awesome story to tell. I do hope OP and the friend are able to reconcile.

    Load More Replies...
    Margaret Shannon
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I don’t understand the criticism this woman is receiving. She didn’t recognize signs of imminent labor because she'd been feeling discomfort for “ages.” She unintentionally made a mess, admitted the mess was her responsibility, and she offered (“lighthearted but sincere”) to make it right. Sure, she would probably have been wiser to summon an ambulance but she didn’t. She might not have been thinking clearly (because baby brain, or excitement, or…), the friend may have dissuaded her (“it's no trouble, I'll take you), or she may be a victim of US health uncaring. Don’t know. The point is she tried to make it right, has not refused any reasonable request, and the car owners have refused to discuss the matter and have blocked further contact. What the aitch-eee-double-hockey-sticks is she supposed to do?

    Heffalump
    Community Member
    1 month ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    'Friends' are really not friends at all. And insurance should cover the cleanup, she should only cover the deductible. And that is the only thing she needs to do. She certainly needs to have nothing to do with them in future.

    person (i think)
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If insurance covers the cleaning, then the insurance costs will go up afterwards, costing extra money every month

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
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