Some pregnant women labor for hours on end, while others deliver much more quickly.
But one mom-to-be's labor kicked off so unexpectedly that she and the baby's father inadvertently led a high-speed police chase in their efforts to make it to the hospital in time!
Carl Alewine and his fiancée, Tiffani Von Glahn, recently welcomed a daughter. The circumstances of the baby's birth were unfortunately more than a little stressful. Anastasia arrived over three weeks early — and in the middle of a highway intersection, rather than in the safety of a hospital.
Though their story went viral, Carl and Tiffani were evicted from their home shortly after the New Year while caring for their premature baby. Carl recently started a GoFundMe page to help raise the money the young family needs to pay rent for a new place.
Scroll through to read all about baby Anastasia's incredible birth!
Thumbnail Photo: Facebook / Carl Alewine
[H/T: People]
Carl told People that he was working with a friend on New Year's Eve when he got a frantic call from his pregnant fiancée.
Tiffani, a first-time mom, told Carl that she thought she was going into labor, since her contractions had started and were getting stronger.
Hearing her screams of pain, Carl quickly left to pick Tiffani up and get her to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), which was located about an hour from their home in St. George, South Carolina.
According to People, it was important for Tiffani to make it to MUSC (rather than just go to the nearest hospital) because she had a high-risk pregnancy and MUSC specializes in them. At the time, neither realized just how close Tiffani was to giving birth!
Doctors had previously told Tiffani that she couldn't have the baby naturally because of her small frame, tilted cervix, and the baby's position in the womb. The couple was informed that Tiffani needed to have a C-section, and that her life or her baby's could be put in danger by delivering naturally. For those reasons, Carl sped toward the hospital.
"Right when I get on the on the ramp of the interstate, I hear a loud splash and hear her scream that her water broke, and my foot just hit the gas," Carl told People.
Scared for his fiancée's life and the life of their unborn daughter, Carl drove his car 95 mph down the interstate. He attempted to call 911 to let them know what was happening and why he was speeding.
Unfortunately, that's when the couple spotted the police car approaching in the rearview mirror, trying to get them to pull over.
"I looked at Tiffani, I looked at the cops, and she’s screaming," Carl recalled. "She says, 'Babe, please don’t stop!' So, what are you going to do, you know? I’m thinking, 'I’m going to go to jail tonight.'"
Carl kept going instead of stopping for the officer, attempting to contact highway patrol and let them know what was happening. Unfortunately, he couldn't get through.
Eventually, Carl spotted 20 police cars following directly behind them. The frantic couple was inadvertently leading a high-speed police chase.
The chase ended after about 15 minutes, when the police blocked the exit ramps and boxed Carl's car in, forcing him to come to a stop. He was told to exit the car and placed in handcuffs before the officers turned their attention to a screaming Tiffani.
Thankfully, a police officer's dad (who was a former EMT firefighter) happened to be riding along in the patrol car that night and was able to help Tiffani deliver her baby right there in the middle of the highway intersection. According to WCSC, that man was Neal Arrington.
"I asked the mom how many weeks she was, sat there and told her I needed to take a peek, saw a head full of hair and then caught it," Neal recalled.
"I’m watching it the whole time, I’m on the hood of the car, in handcuffs, watching my child be born, it’s New Year’s and the fireworks displays are going on all around us, blue lights flashing and I’m crying tears of joy," Carl recalled.
"I wasn’t even thinking about being arrested."
Understanding what had happened, an officer uncuffed Carl — and the rest of the officers applauded! Baby Anastasia had been born at 1:03 a.m. on New Year's Day, weighing 6 lbs. 2 oz.
As of this writing, the little girl is still at MUSC so that doctors can keep an eye on her. But Carl tells LittleThings that Anastasia is expecting to be discharged from the hospital soon.
Carl has started a GoFundMe page to help the family get back on their feet following their unexpected eviction.
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