Mother gives birth in front seat of car on major Ontario highway

She’s only hours old, but Mila Rand is already causing quite a stir.

The seven-pound-eight-ounce baby was born in a car on the side of Highway 407 early Monday.

“We were shocked,” mother Heidi Rand told Global News from Oakville Trafalgar Hospital on Monday afternoon.

“All of a sudden I hear a baby crying, I’m driving down the road at 100 kilometres an hour and I hear a baby crying,” father Joe Rand added.

It was just before midnight when the Burlington couple decided to make their way to Credit Valley Hospital to meet their midwife who was supposed to help them to deliver their second child.

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But while on the toll road, Heidi’s labour progressed rapidly. Her water broke when they were still 25 minutes away from Credit Valley.

They had just passed the Bronte Road exit near Oakville when Joe knew he had to pull the car over.

“Heidi was like a quarterback and she pulled the baby out,” he said.

At 12:10 a.m., Mila was born in the front seat of their car on the side of the highway.

“As a mother, you just wait for them to cry and I’m so thankful she cried,” Heidi said.

Joe said he called 911 and the operator walked him through what to do next, adding he did exactly as he was told.

“He told me to get a shoelace and cut the umbilical cord — thankfully, I was wearing shoes with laces,” he said.

“I am so thankful for how calm they kept me.”

The parents, having already been through the birthing process with their son, were still stunned with how quickly the whole situation played out.

“Our son was a 36-hour labour … Mila came out in just over an hour,” Joe said.

Once the pair knew Mila was healthy and safe, they knew they had to take a selfie.

“A couple pictures from this morning’s birthing adventure,” one of their tweets read, accompanied by a picture of the couple with the newest addition to their family.

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Halton paramedics arrived within 10 minutes and transported the family to the closest hospital, Oakville Trafalgar.

“[Mila] is such a good baby, so calm,” Heidi said.

The parents said the story has already led to a nickname for their newest addition.

“My mother-in-law suggested Lacey, after the shoelace I used,” Joe said, adding the shoelace will be put into Mila’s baby book one day.

Heidi said the couple will also be keeping the car well into the future.

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