Watch CBS News

Selden Man Delivers Daughter In Front Seat Of SUV

SELDEN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) --Her birth was anything but normal.

A newborn baby couldn't wait for her parents to make it to the hospital before coming into the world and decided the front seat of dad's SUV would do just fine.

LISTEN: 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera reports

Podcast

New dad Ryan Schulz, of Selden, says his wife started having contractions, so they jumped in the car and took off to Stony Brook University Medical Center.

That's when Barbara Coniglio-Schulz's water suddenly broke.

Schulz told CBS 2's Maurice DuBois that the pain became more unbearable for his wife as they continued to drive. The couple was just a few minutes away from the hospital when the baby decided she just couldn't wait any longer.

"My wife said 'Oh my God I think I'm going to have this baby right now,'" Schulz told 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera. "I see the head coming out while I'm driving."

Schulz Family
Ryan Schulz, Barbara Coniglio-Schulz, son Christopher, 7, and newborn daughter, Emma (credit: Family Handout)

Coniglio-Schulz said she was in agony. "It was scary because I didn't know what to do," she said.

Schulz pulled into the parking lot of an elementary school and mom pushed twice and the baby, now named Emma, was out.

Schulz called 911 and the dispatcher explained how to clear Emma's airways of fluid and also how to tie off the umbilical cord.

The new dad had to improvise -- he used a shoelace from his sneaker.

It was just enough to keep Emma safe until an ambulance arrived a few minutes later.

"They immediately wrapped the baby because here I am in shock and the baby's just sitting there in my lap," Coniglio-Schulz said. "Once she was out, I was just happy that she was happy and breathing and pink."

Mommy and baby eventually did make it to the hospital. They are both doing well.

Please share your thoughts below...

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.