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Born on blacktop: Docs deliver baby in Brooklyn Hospital’s driveway

Born on blacktop: Docs deliver baby in Brooklyn Hospital’s driveway
Brooklyn Hospital Center

Talk about a baby on board!

Doctors at Brooklyn Hospital Center on Friday orchestrated an extra-special delivery when they welcomed a pregnant mother’s bundle of joy — in the parking lot outside the emergency room.

Dad Sulimon Wiggins arrived at the Fort Greene hospital around 8:30 am with his pregnant wife Erica, who by that time was so close to birthing her little one that staff forwent moving her inside, instead assembling around the front passenger-side seat of the family’s car and delivering the babe on the blacktop, the doctor who oversaw the procedure said.

“A nurse saw the baby’s head coming out — and once we knew she was coming, there was no way the mom could stand up, or be forced onto a stretcher,” said Dr. Pardeep Thanndi. “She had her back against the middle console, pushed as far back into the driver’s seat as she could, and she gave birth in that position.”

Roughly 10 hospital employees — including doctors, nurses, technicians, and other staff — rushed to meet the parents when they pulled into the parking lot, according to Thanndi, who said senior resident Dr. Luis Valdez delivered the baby girl and then staff took mom and daughter inside for further treatment after the birth.

The parking-lot delivery — which Thanndi said more or less went off without a hitch, and was Brooklyn Hospital Center’s first of its kind, according to a spokeswoman — took about 10 minutes, and showcased how the facility’s staff is trained to quickly respond to even the most unexpected incidents, the doctor said.

“You’d think it was stressful, but everyone was completely calm, and it was a happy delivery,” he said. “In the emergency room we are trained in any type of procedure.”

Wiggins, also the mother of a 2-year-old boy, cheered doctors following the healthy — if not unconventional — arrival of daughter Sarah, noting just how eager the girl was to enter the world.

“My first baby was pretty fast but this was crazy,” said the mom, whom the hospital rep said is now recovering at home in Cypress Hills with her daughter and family.

Reach Deputy Editor Anthony Rotunno at arotunno@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-8303.