A.J. Ellis‘ story may top all the crazy childbirth stories you have heard.
The Dodgers catcher says his wife, Cindy, gave birth to their third child in the front seat of their car as they were rushing to the hospital.
Ellis told the story to Molly McKnight, who wrote about it for ESPN The Magazine.
Audrey Elizabeth Ellis was born on October 12, around 8:00 a.m. She came about two weeks early, and several hours early by Ellis’ count.
Cindy Ellis woke up her husband around 7:00 a.m. to tell him her water broke. A.J. figured he had some time to get ready before they left to the hospital, and that the 30-mile drive to the hospital where Cindy’s doctor was located would be no problem. He was wrong.
Cindy began her contractions while they were in the car, and, according to what Ellis told Knight, began screaming that they wouldn’t make it to the hospital in time.
“And I’m thinking, this is 2012, not the ‘Oregon Trail.’ Of course we’re gonna make it,” Ellis told Knight. “So I’m calmly telling her we’re making it. I figured she was just panicking because she was in excruciating pain.”
She was right. The baby came so quickly she delivered it in the front seat of the car, with the passenger seat pulled down.
The couple elected not to be told the sex of the baby, so they didn’t know they had a girl until after she was born.
They eventually made it to the hospital — Aurora Lakeland Medical Center in Elkhorn, Wisconsin — where mother and newborn were taking into recovery. Both are in excellent health.
The only problem? Cleaning up the car, which had been borrowed from Cindy’s parents.
“The in-laws took it to a car wash to be cleaned,” Ellis said. “The vehicle has since reacquired that new car smell.”
The entire story is quite amazing, and it seems befitting of A.J.’s out-of-nowhere awesome season for the Dodgers. After missing the birth of his first two children because he was playing, Ellis sure picked an interesting way to witness his first one.
We encourage you to read the entire story at ESPN.
H/T Hardball Talk
