BEAVER DAM, Utah — A Utah woman gave birth to her daughter in the front seat of her car on a snowy mountain road last Thursday night.
Katie Walker, who was already a mom of two, was a week overdue and said doctors were set to induce labor that Friday. But her daughter, Kennedy Lou, had other plans.
"It was a sense of relief when she made that first cry," said Cade Walker, Katie's husband.
The Walkers documented the entire incident as it all played out over the course of an hour.
"I all of a sudden had a contraction and it was 9:35 p.m., and at 9:40, I stood up and my water broke," Katie said.
That's when the couple rushed to pack up some things and head to Logan Regional hospital from their home in Deweyville, near Tremonton.
However, when they went to pull out of their garage, they found out it was snowing.
At about 10:20 p.m., just 10 minutes into their drive to the hospital, Katie can be heard on the video.
"Yeah, don't keep going," Katie said to Cade. "No, pull off here."
The Walkers pulled over on the side of the road, off of State Route 30, near Beaver Dam.
"I realized in that moment, we are going to have this baby right here on the side of the road, in this little alcove, this perfect spot we could park, but it was a little overwhelming," Katie said.
Cade, a fourth-year medical student at West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, jumped into action. He first called 911.
"My wife is having a baby. We are in active labor," Cade tells the dispatcher.
The dispatcher was able to give Cade step-by-step directions on what to do.
"Towels? Any blankets?" the dispatcher asked.
"We've got towels, we've got blankets," Cade responded.
Cade says he tried to move his wife into the backseat, but she was unable to move.
"I said, 'OK, we will recline the front passenger seat and we will make this happen,'" Cade said.
Cade worked to help deliver his daughter, helping keep his wife calm and focused until Kennedy finally arrived.
He says the paramedics arrived about seven minutes later and took both Katie and Kennedy to the hospital.
On Tuesday, just five days later, the Walkers went back to where it all happened.
They say it is surreal to think a little place on the side of the road is where they would welcome their daughter into the world.
"It feels like it just happened last night, but also happened so long ago," Katie said.
The Walkers wanted to thank several people and organizations for their help. They include the Fielding Fire Department volunteers, Logan Regional Labor and Delivery staff, the Utah Fertility Center, Footsteps for Fertility Foundation, and others.
