After going into labor while driving to the hospital, one Pennsylvania mom delivers her baby on the side of the highway, with some help from a 911 operator.
Charlotte Fatoma was working as a nurse at an assisted living facility when she started feeling contractions. She already has two other children, so she thought that she had enough time to make the 40-minute drive to deliver her baby safely at the hospital.
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While driving, Charlotte hit traffic and knew she had to call 911. She realized that there was no way she was going to make it to the hospital before her baby came. That’s when 911 dispatcher Elyce Rivera picked up the phone and helped Charlotte during her delivery.
Elyce said that Charlotte was panicking, and she needed to talk her through her contractions to help her calm down.
"She's just screaming," Elyce recalled. "So, what I told Charlotte was that everything that she's feeling, her baby is feeling. And I didn't want her baby to go into distress, so that's why I kept telling her, 'Just take deep breaths.'"
Elyce calmly told Charlotte to pull the car over and get ready to give birth. "She told me to position myself in the car, move the seat back, push yourself all the way to the edge of the chair, put your legs up, prop yourself, and make a way for that baby," shared Charlotte.
Just as Charlotte gave birth to a baby girl, the ambulance arrived. What a strong mama! And what a help Elyce was to her during the birth to help keep her calm.
As soon as Elyce heard the baby’s cry on the other end of the phone, she began to tear up. "I felt very happy. I felt very emotional,” she shared.
Charlotte named her daughter Elizabeth Elyce in honor of the 911 operator who was such a help to her during her time of need.
"Elyce, the 911 operator, she is an angel in disguise,” said Charlotte. “She was wonderful. She treated me so kind."
The two women met for the first time in person on the Today show, and Charlotte asked Elyce if she would like to be the baby’s godmother. And Elyce joyfully accepted while holding baby Elizabeth.
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h/t: People
Featured Image Credit: YouTube