Speedy delivery: mom gives birth on Highway 407
Maternal instincts may never have been so keen as they were for Heidi Rand on Monday morning. With husband Joe bombing down Hwy. 407 just after midnight, the Burlington mother-to-be felt her water break and a head appear just two contractions later.
An anxious situation had just become harrowing.
As Joe was torn between focusing on the road and worrying about his wife and child, Heidi delivered her own baby girl in what felt like an eternity but in reality lasted less than two minutes.
Born in the wee hours of the morning near the Bronte Rd. exit in Oakville, seven-pound, eight-ounce Mila was healthy and in the care of Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital later Monday.
Her intended birthplace was Mississauga’s Credit Valley Hospital, before fate took a U-turn.
“It felt so incredibly surreal,” Heidi told Metroland. “My head was in two places. One, I’m thinking, ‘Is this really happening in my car?’ ”
“But then, your instincts kick in and you’re literally doing everything you can to keep your baby safe,” Heidi said. “It’s a miracle . . . she’s safe, healthy and happy.”
While he calls himself a supporting player in the drama, Joe was much more than a spectator.
After gathering all the clothing he could find to keep Mila warm — in- cluding the shirt off his back — he used his shoelace to tie off the umbilical cord, following advice from a Halton paramedic who coached him over the phone.
“It’s been joked about on social (media) that we should nickname her Shoelace or Lacey. (The delivery) was like, ‘What the hell?’ ” said Joe, who moved to Burlington nine months ago after living for several years overseas with Heidi in the U.K., Germany and Australia. This is the couple’s second baby, joining 20-month-old Jackson, whose delivery — by stark contrast — lasted roughly 36 hours. “Heidi was like the QB taking the ball from the centre, pulling onto her chest. To think of everything Heidi went through, she did a tremendous job,” Joe said.
With Mila more than a week late, the couple was already a bit antsy come Sunday night when the con- tractions began.
At first, they were frequent yet irregular, leaving Heidi to wonder if she’d have to wait a little longer.
But “when I called my midwife, she said, ‘Yeah, this is it,’ ” Heidi says.
In all the commotion, Joe didn’t get the name of the paramedic who offered assistance while an ambulance was en route to meet them.
“It was a guy, that’s all I know,” Joe said. “He was great.”