After Husband Doesn’t Believe His Wife Is In ‘Real’ Labor, She Ends Up Giving Birth In Their Car

Jun 29, 2021

A husband and wife welcomed their newborn baby boy to the world in a very unexpected way. Ryan and Gayla Thompson were already parents of one child, and recently welcomed their second in June 2021. While they were on the way to the hospital, Gayla was suffering from some pretty severe contractions, and she soon realized that the unbearable pain meant that the couple was going to be meeting their little one a little earlier than expected.

Her husband, Ryan, was in disbelief that she was really ready to give birth, and continued to drive like normal. Upon realizing that the baby was definitely on his way, the parents had to pull over to the side of a busy highway in Nashville, Tennessee. As a UPS driver, Ryan has made plenty of deliveries in his lifetime, but he was gearing up to make the most important delivery of all.

Once her contractions had passed, Gayla gave birth to the couple’s son while still sitting inside their Jeep. There were a few complications along the way since there were no doctors around to help, but the husband and wife worked well together to bring their baby safely into the world. 

The story of Gayla and Ryan welcoming their newborn baby into the world while pulled over on the side of a road made its way to multiple news outlets and social media platforms, since giving birth in a car is a pretty rare occurrence. The happy couple and their growing family shared an unforgettable moment together that thankfully brought them their sweet, tiny bundle of joy.

In her Facebook post from June 16, 2021, Gayla explained how she had some “super irregular” and painful contractions the day before, but just assumed that it was a bad case of Braxton Hicks. WebMD describes Braxton Hicks as the false labor pains that a pregnant woman feels before she is really in labor. While they are not a sign that labor has started or is about to begin, they are merely a way to prepare mothers for what they should expect pain-wise the day she finally does give birth.

After taking a hot bath to try to ease the pain, Gayla quickly realized that the pain was not going to go away, and she wanted to seek out medical help. After telling her husband, Ryan, that it was time to take her to the hospital, the two made sure to bring their son, Connor, to daycare before heading out on their way. In her post, Gayla made sure to note that Connor’s daycare was in the opposite direction of the hospital.

Once they were about halfway on their journey to the hospital, Gayla’s contractions worsened to the point that she could no longer scream out in pain. “That was the sign that told me baby is on the way, and we won’t make it!” she wrote in her Facebook post. She acted fast and told her husband that he either needed to drive faster to make it on time, or call 911 for help, but he did neither. “He was still convinced it was false labor,” Gayla wrote.

Ryan soon changed his mind once he realized the baby’s head had begun crowning, and he urgently called 911. A video from Inside Edition included a portion of the phone call between Ryan and one of the operators, as Ryan desperately sought help from his baby who was in a serious predicament.

“He’s not breathing or he’s not moving,” Ryan said. “His skin is real, real, real pale. I think the cord’s wrapped around his neck.” Moments after being instructed to gently pull the cord over the baby’s head, something amazing happened. Gayla kept pushing and, finally, the couple’s baby was born and instantly began crying. In her Facebook post, Gayla said that their son was born at 8:56 a.m. on the side of interstate I-440.

There were some shirts in the back of the Jeep the couple was in, so Ryan grabbed them to cover the baby with as Gayla held him close to her bare chest for skin-to-skin contact. After waiting 10 minutes, the paramedics arrived and took the mother and newborn baby to a nearby hospital while Ryan followed behind. The baby and mom were okay upon arrival. 

With such a miraculous and unexpected birthing story, it was only fitting that they named their baby something to remind them of the experience, and they gave their sweet boy the moniker Carson. “All is well and baby is totally healthy!!” Gayla wrote at the end of her Facebook post, which has since gone on to be shared over 5,000 times from when it was originally posted.

What did you think about this story from a sweet set of parents? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones, too!