Last night was something I will never forget. Our baby girl was born… in the bathroom of a Chick-fil-A. Here’s how it all happened. My wife Maggie and I got in the car to head to the hospital. She was in labor, and we planned to drop our two daughters off with a friend who was meeting us at Chick-fil-A.
It was late, already after 10 p.m., and the restaurant had just closed. As soon as we got there, Maggie said she needed to use the bathroom right away. She was in pain and looked like the baby was coming soon. The doors were locked, so I knocked hard on the glass until someone came.
A staff member opened the door, and Maggie rushed inside to the restroom. While she went in, I quickly got our girls into our friend’s car and said goodbye. Then I ran inside to find Maggie. The manager looked worried and told me, “She’s in the bathroom and she’s screaming.”
I went in and found Maggie in a small bathroom stall, straddling the toilet. I could see the top of our baby’s head. I turned to her and said, “Sweetheart, it looks like this baby is coming right now, right here.”
I yelled to the staff to call 911 and to bring any clean towels they had. Maggie started pushing, and I helped deliver the baby. When the baby’s shoulders came out, I saw the cord was wrapped around her neck twice. I didn’t tell Maggie because I didn’t want her to panic.
I carefully unwrapped the cord, and after two more pushes, our daughter was born. I caught her with my shirt and held her close. The baby was crying, and she looked healthy. The workers warmed up towels in the kitchen and kept bringing them in to help us keep her warm.
We were on the phone with the emergency team the whole time. Fifteen minutes later, the paramedics arrived. Everyone was okay our baby, Maggie, and me.
Right there in the bathroom, we ended up cutting the umbilical cord ourselves. It wasn’t how we planned, but it all worked out. Her birth certificate says “Born in Chick-fil-A.” And I signed as the doctor. What a night.
