A couple received the surprise of their life when they delivered their baby girl in the parking lot of a gas station in Ontario.
Sergio and Ashley Soto welcomed baby Leia early Wednesday at a Mobil gas station on Euclid Avenue while they were on the way to the hospital. The dramatic delivery happened after 2 a.m. when Ashley felt severe contractions.
“Around 2 in the morning, she woke me up and she was like, ‘The baby’s coming. We’ve got to go,” Sergio said. “She said, ‘I think we can make it to St. Jude’s in Fullerton,’ and unfortunately, we were going down the 60 and right before Euclid, the baby decided she was ready to come out.”
That’s when Sergio pulled into the relatively empty parking lot of the gas station and immediately tended to his wife.
“When I turned around and I parked, I could see the baby coming out, so I just ran out of the car, ran around and delivered the baby,” he said. “(Ashley) was such a trooper just pushing.”
“I felt like I was going to pass out at that moment,” Ashley admitted with a laugh.
According to the couple, they initially had gone to two hospitals the day before since Ashley was dilated by 4 centimeters. However, she was turned away by them both because they said she wasn’t dilated enough.
“You know when you think you have a plan and that plan just doesn’t go through and it’s just totally opposite?” Ashley said. “So, we were not expecting (this).”
Ashley said it took only about four pushes for the baby to come out. Meanwhile, Sergio immediately jumped into action before first responders were able to arrive.
“When I went around the passenger side, the baby was still in the sack so I kind of just opened it up real quick,” he said. “I had her kind of like upside down, I started cleaning her pathways and then just talking to her, trying to keep both of them calm.”
Thankfully, the delivery was safe and both Ashley and Leia were fine. The mother and baby were taken to a hospital for evaluation and will be discharged this week so the parents and new baby can return to Ashley and Sergio’s 14-month-old son.
The couple said now that the shock of the delivery has settled, they’re looking forward to being a family of four.