Phoenix firefighters help Arizona couple give birth to baby outside Scottsdale resort
May 26, 2017, 9:23 AM | Updated: 11:12 am
(Twitter/@ebrizuela23)
(Twitter/@ebrizuela23)
PHOENIX — As every parent knows, giving birth to your first child and welcoming them into the world is an experience that is equally frightening and exhilarating.
But this Arizona couple had a birthing experience like no other, one that involved the Phoenician Resort, a Toyota and lots of prepared Phoenix firefighters.
Eduardo Brizuela and his wife were on their way to Shea Medical Center in Scottsdale, ready to welcome their baby boy into the world, when something unexpected happened.
“We tried to make it to Shea Hospital, but, unfortunately, our son had different plans. He wanted to come to the world a little bit earlier than we thought,” Brizuela said.
That’s right — Brizuela and his wife realized they were not going to make it to the hospital.
Brizuela said he called 911 to figure out what to do. The 911 operator told him to pull over, so he did — right in front of the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale.
“We ended up calling 911, they asked us to pull over, we happened to be in the intersection with the Phoenician, so we made a left [turn],” he said. “I knew that would be a big place to deliver the baby.”
Just 10 minutes later, a Phoenix Fire Department crew showed up, Brizuela said.
An ambulance crew came shortly after to take the couple to a hospital, but it was too late: They were told they would have to give birth in their car.
So the fire crew took over and got to work, birthing a completely healthy baby boy.
Our son David Gaël was born on 05/18 in the back seat of @Toyota outside the @the_phoenician!!! Special thx to @PHXFire for their help! pic.twitter.com/hqPZmfbCfA
— Eduardo Brizuela (@ebrizuela23) May 20, 2017
“At that point, I was really ready to do this delivery so all I could do is ask God to keep my wife safe and my child safe,” Brizuela said. “It was so fast, by the time we called 911 to the time he was born, it was probably less than 20 minutes.”
Their baby boy was born to a crowd: In addition to the ambulance and fire crews, Brizuela said his wife’s parents were also in the car.
While Brizuela said the firefighters were calm, cool and collected, he said they told him they only birth babies “once a year, if that.”
Brizuela said he was so thankful to the firefighters for keeping everyone calm, making the moment special and allowing the birth to go as “normal as it could be.”
“It was an awesome moment, it was really special.”
