You’re in labor! Yay! But all of a sudden, things begin to pick up faster than you can process. You leave your house to drive to your birth location… but baby is coming NOW. It’s something that we always hope doesn’t happen to us… and it probably won’t. But here’s what to do in case it does. Partners, these instructions are for you. Because the birthing person should never be expected to remember ANYTHING when they’re pushing a baby out of their vagina.

*I recently had a client give birth in the parking lot of the ER… the inspiration for this article! I had given her and her partner these instructions during a prenatal meeting* ***just in case*** *and they were so thankful I did!*

First things first, I always recommend having chucks pads and towels in your car. Not only will these be crucial in the case of an accidental car birth, but just for the ride to the hospital in general. There are a lot of fluids that happen in labor and you don’t want to have a forever stained backseat because you forgot to put down some puppy pads!

So here’s the deal. The majority of the time, if a precipitous (quick) birth is happening, it’s usually because everything is okay. Your body knows what to do and everything is flowing exactly right. With this being said, there’s really not a whole lot you need to do if you accidentally have your baby unassisted.

*She walked up to the emergency room doors, holding her screaming baby who was still attached to her. So badass. When I left the hospital, I saw her bloody footprints and had to document them.*

If your partner begins to push while you are driving to your birth location, here’s what to do:

Safely pull your car over - that’s right, unless you are within a couple of blocks of the hospital, pull your car over to a safe spot.
Call 911 - they will be able to give you instructions on what to do next and in the case of any respiratory issues in baby, they can walk you through what is needed to help baby until paramedics can get there.
Help the birther remove their pants and underwear if they haven’t done so already
Get ready to catch - even if the birther is in a position to catch their own baby, it’s a good idea to have your hands there to spot, just in case. Remember that babies are slippery!
Immediate skin to skin - bring baby up to birther’s chest immediately after birth. If the cord is too short for baby to make it up to the chest, you can lay them on the birther’s stomach.
- If baby isn’t crying right away, stimulate them! Rub their back with a towel, run your finger along the bottom of their feet… the 911 operator may have further instructions for you if this is the case.
Keep baby warm! - make sure the car stays warm (if it’s winter, turn the heat all the way up). Dry baby off, rub that vernix in, and cover the birther and baby in blankets or towels and keep baby’s temperature regulated.
Don’t touch the cord - leave the umbilical cord alone. There is absolutely nothing that needs to be done here! It’s totally fine for the cord to stay connected until the paramedics get there (and even longer!)
Wait for help to arrive and to be assisted with transfer :)

Again, we never think this is something that will happen to us, but it does happen! I hope this left you a bit more prepared and at ease for the car ride to your birthplace!