NORWICH, Conn. (WTNH) — In the midst of Connecticut’s first snowstorm of 2021 Monday, a baby girl was born in the front seat of her parent’s car.

Officials say Kaitlyn Vacchina, of Lebanon, unexpectedly delivered her baby girl in the front seat of her car at Backus Hospital Emergency Department.

Kaitlyn tells News 8 she was past her due date and had called her doctor to see if she should head over to the hospital. Good thing she did, because she went into labor on the ride over.

“As we got about just around the corner to the hospital, she blurted out that her water just broke,” Kaitlyn’s husband, David, explained. “I ran into the emergency room and I yelled, ‘my wife’s in labor, we’re having a baby!'”

Dad, David, then ran back to the car.

When he and staff members returned to the car, the baby was crowning.

“She started to push and the baby came out more and more until the point that it was out all the way and I caught the baby, put the baby on mommy’s belly,” David said.

Dr. Theresa Adams, of Backus Hospital Emergency Department provided insight on the experience:

“I heard a commotion near the nurses’ desk in the front of the ED. I heard someone say ‘get the baby,’ so I began running, following the staff headed out to the parking area. Then someone shouted, ‘The baby’s out. The baby’s out.’ I realized that it was someone delivering a baby in the snowstorm. The car was pulled up in front of the sidewalk outside the ED entrance. The father had helped mom deliver the baby just before I arrived. The baby was on mom’s belly with some blankets covering her. I stimulated the baby and she cried. She looked pink and was breathing well…It was very cold and snowy and the car door was wide open and I said, ‘I’m going to cut the cord now.’ Wrapped the baby against me and turned around to run inside with the baby and that’s when the photographer started snapping pictures!”

It just so happened the hospital photographer was right there to capture the moment.

Jeff Evans is Backus Hospital’s multimedia specialist. He said, “Babies are always really special. It was a really special moment…You just never know, I just always have my camera with me.”

Dr. Adams says once inside the ED, mom and baby were reunited: “Then the OB team took them both upstairs to the labor and delivery floor to assess them, deliver the placenta, and weigh the baby.” Both are doing well, neither suffering from the effects of the cold or snow.

David says it has been emotional.

“To actually bring our daughter into the world through your hands was something I could never be able to put into words, to really truly describe. It was really a surreal feeling.”

Dr. Adams adds, “I have delivered multiple babies (20+) during residency, but none since I became an attending 7 years ago. We are lucky to have the OB department at Backus that is fully staffed at all times, so the opportunity really doesn’t present itself very often. It was a wonderful surprise to all the staff, especially in the midst of what has been a very tough year for all of us!”

The couple named the healthy newborn girl Molly Joyce. Molly weighed 8 lbs. 3 ozs. She will soon be going home to an older sister, 2-year-old Adalyn.

Since Kaitlyn was past her due date of Jan. 31 and there was a major snowstorm on the way, David actually looked up ‘How to deliver a baby’, worrying he might be caught in that situation and wanting to be prepared. And he sure was.