During the last stages of your pregnancy, you are focused on making sure the labor bag is ready because you want to be as prepared as possible for delivering your baby at the hospital or birth center. Or, if you are having a home delivery, you want to make sure that you are ready as possible so you don't have anything to worry about apart from making sure that the midwife shows up as quickly as possible.

That is why you make sure that when you set up your labor bag, you throw in the new-born diapers, sleepers, a hat, mitts, and anything else for the baby. But what you will not consider is that things can happen unexpectedly and very fast. This means you can go into quick labor and not have access to your midwife or doctor, especially if you are driving somewhere and you happen to go away from the hospital or home. 

It is rare to have quick labor of this nature and it is also recommended that at the later stages of your pregnancy, you don't go anywhere too far from the hospital or home just in case it does happen. However, if you are ever in a situation where you end up going into labor in a very bad place, such as while you are on the highway, and you are unable to contact your doctor or midwife, there are steps to know when it comes to delivering your baby. In case this situation does happen, let's go over those steps right now:

Step One - Don't Freak Out

Yes, what happened is not what you had expected, and it is less than ideal, but freaking out will not get you anywhere.

Just stay calm because you will be more effective in a calm state.

Step Two - Call the Police or Even 911

There are strict rules with using 911 as an emergency but, even though giving birth in an undesirable area is far from ideal and not an emergency, you can still make that call.

You can also call the police for help as they will rush over to you and help you while you are in labor.

Step Three - Pull the Car Over and Unlock the Front Door

Whether you are the one driving or your partner is driving you, the first thing to do is to pull over. There is no point in rushing to go home or the hospital if you are quite far away. Pull the car over to the side and unlock the front door. This way, when help is on the way, such as the police, they will be able to help you right away.

Step Four - Clean Up as Much as You Can

You are in the middle of nowhere and you will want to make sure that you have something with you that will keep you from spreading germs. This means you will want to use the hand sanitizer so that germs are killed off. You may end up using the entire bottle depending on how prepared or unprepared you have been. Remember as well, the police will know that the emergency is that the woman is in labor and will know exactly how to prepare for birth.

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Step Five - Get Ready to Take the Baby

If no one is around to help and the police or help is not there quickly enough to deliver, then you have to resign yourself to the fact that you are going to have to do this solo. Yes, it may be scary but there is no time or energy to put fear into anything now. You just have to get your arms ready to cup the baby's head and do not pull anything. Just push the baby out. Let it flow naturally, and yes, the pain will be unbearable since there are no pain meds or epidurals around. This is going to be a natural birth whether you have planned it or not.

Step Six - Take the Head

The first that will come out is the head and the rest of the body will follow. If there are no clean towels around, then you will need to take off clothing to make sure that the baby is kept warm. Hopefully, the police or help will be around very soon so that the baby is taken to the hospital right away.

Step Seven - The Placenta Will Come Out

While the baby is being warmed up, expect the placenta to come out about 10 to 15 minutes after the baby is born. And this means to stick around the area for longer. The chances are that at this point if you have given birth on the side of the road, a good Samaritan will have stopped and offered assistance, and called for help, even if it is late at night.

Step Eight - Go to the Hospital or Nearest Medical Clinic

If you have delivered the baby all on your own in the middle of nowhere or on the side of a road, you must head off to the nearest medical facility where your baby and you will be checked thoroughly. You and your baby will be transferred to the home hospital as well and sent back home for your midwife to check on you both.

Now that this happened, you will have quite a story to tell others. In months from now while you are with your mom friends and you are holding your happy and healthy baby - you can look back and be in awe of what you went through. That will be quite a birth story to tell your friends and family members, and anyone else who happens to find out. Your baby will grow up to tell that story as well about how he or she came to this world, and it happened so unexpectedly!

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