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Ben and Debbie Partlow made an unexpected detour on their way to the hospital after their baby made an unexpected arrival.
Debbie Partlow delivered her baby girl in the car as they were heading to Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring on the morning of Nov. 18.
"It became apparent to us that we weren't going to make it," Ben Partlow said in an e-mail to the Gazette, so he began driving toward Montgomery General Hospital in Olney.
Before they could get there from their home near Laytonsville, however, the baby began making her entry into the world.
Debbie Partlow said her husband had thought about stopping the car and calling 911, but realized he was just a few minutes away from Montgomery General and could get her their quicker himself.
A former police officer in Florida, Ben Partlow had never witnessed a baby born in a car.
But Debbie, whose sister recently gave birth to her sixth child, was present at all six deliveries and knew what to do and what to expect, she said.
As they approached the main entrance of Montgomery General at 7:07 a.m., he honked the horn and ran into the hospital yelling that he and his wife just had a baby in the car and needed help, he told The Gazette.
He said the hospital security team was first on the scene, including security officer George Carr, with whom Ben had worked at Montgomery General 20 years ago. A large team of doctors and nurses soon followed.
"We were rushed inside to the ER and everything was taken care of," he said.
"I would especially want to point out that the MGH staff was simply outstanding," he added. "Everyone went out of their way to help and accommodate us."
Nikki Yeager, a spokeswoman for Montgomery General Hospital, said surprise deliveries do not happen often.
"We're glad we have folks in place to help people like this," she said, adding it is because of the hospital's program to have licensed obstetricians on staff 24 hours a day that doctors and nurses were able to provide good care in a hurry when the Partlows arrived.
Madelene Kate, who arrived at 39 weeks, weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces, and was 19 inches long.
She joins big brother James, age 3.
