Javier Sanchez beamed as the ambulance pulled away with his wife and newborn daughter.
“What happened?” a camera crew asked.
“She just came out fast,” Sanchez said. “I’m on the highway, I tried to make it to the hospital, but I can’t.”
Sanchez pulled off the Eisenhower Expressway in the 900 block of South Austin Boulevard as Maria Estrada’s contractions intensified around 3:40 a.m., according to Sanchez and fire officials. Within minutes, his daughter was born as he talked to a 911 dispatcher.
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Estrada and the baby, named Camila Ruiz Estrada Sanchez, were taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, where they were both listed in good condition, according to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Juan Hernandez.
The baby weighed a little more than 8 pounds, officials said.
“We were the closest hospital, so they were brought here,” said Robbin Uchison, nurse manager at West Suburban. “Sometimes moms miscalculate just a little bit, and sometimes Mother Nature takes over and delivery happens quickly. Some labor can take a couple days and some take, like in this case, about 30 minutes.”
Uchison said the couple kept the baby warm immediately after being born, which is the primary concern in cases such as this.
Officials at West Suburban said they had four deliveries “in the field” during the month of February, and this was the first in March.
“Mom and baby are both doing fine, I saw them just a few minutes ago,” Uchison said. “She’s just glad it’s over. As we like to say with labor and delivery, so long as you end up with a healthy mom and healthy baby, all’s well.”
Baby Camila is the Sanchez’s third child. Hospital officials said mother and baby should be released to go home in a day or two.
Freelance reporter Gary Gibula contributed.