A father, mother and newborn girl are resting and well after an emergency roadside birth in a traffic jam on a Vancouver Island highway, between Parksville and Nanaimo, yesterday.
Kyle Aplin, a Whiskey Creek resident, said partner Kelsey began having contractions Thursday night, but while they were far apart, decided it might be wise to head to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on Friday morning. With highway traffic at a standstill due to a sinkhole in Lantzville, hospital staff advised leaving for Nanaimo early.
“That was at 10:15 a.m., so we left shortly after and we didn’t make it very far; 15 minutes into our drive, we were stuck and contractions got worse, so we decided to call the ambulance and they were there not even five minutes later,” recounted Aplin. “As soon as they put her on the gurney, that’s when things started happening. We got 15 minutes down the road and then she gave birth on the way there.”
While Rylie Jayne Aplin was born in the ambulance, with first responders on hand, there was still a long journey and wait to get to the hospital, according to Aplin.
“We pulled over at the Triple O’s at Nanoose, at the side of the highway and from right there to the hospital was 45 minutes at least,” Aplin said. “Everything was good. The guy drove slow. He was very respectful and calm and made everything a lot easier for both of them.”
Aplin also said the 45 minutes after Rylie’s birth was much less stressful then the time prior.
“I was definitely panicking, but they were very helpful and very calm, they made it a lot better and all the [other drivers] were nice enough to move out of the way and help other people get out of the way,” said Aplin. “Everyone on the road was very supportive and helpful, trying to get us through.”
It will be interesting telling Rylie the story of her birth when she’s older, said Aplin.
“We’re going to tell her that she’s a superstar,” Aplin said. “Her story is all over right now and everyone’s asking about it. It was quite unexpected and quite a way to come into the world.”
RELATED: Excavation work happening at sinkhole site north of Nanaimo
reporter@nanaimobulletin.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
