Osoyoos’ newest resident, Gaia Realina, was in a hurry to make her entrance into the world last week – and what an entrance it was, as a roadside birth near the weigh scales outside of Kaleden on Highway 97.

“We were going to my midwife’s house because we were going to have a home birth, as we had done with our two year old daughter Martina. And yeah we were on our way there and I guess we just didn’t have enough time,” said Gaia’s mom Carolynn Chin, laughing as she recalled how the events unfolded on Aug. 2.

Chin said her pre-labour had been long, and she and her husband, Francesco Oliva, were trying to stay at home for as long as possible before making the trip to Penticton, where their midwife resides. She explained that during her first pregnancy, she and Franc had been turned back three times for arriving at their midwife’s home too soon during labour, since little Martina wasn’t quite ready to arrive.

READ MORE: Penticton baby undergoes five hour surgery after dog attack

“The early labour was long, there was at least two hours where I was having contractions but they were still far apart, so they say don’t go to your birthing place yet. But once my water broke it was like zero to 60,” said Chin. “Within two hours after my water breaking Gaia was born.”

She said, surprisingly, both she and her husband were quite calm during the whole ordeal. The only real debate was exactly where to stop on the busy highway.

“I wanted to pull over at the bottom of the hill, before the passing lanes after OK Falls, since the head was coming, I could feel it. I told my husband that he should pull over and he said to just hold on a little longer,” said Chin with a laugh. “So we got up the hill, near that ranch after the passing lane, and the baby’s head was out so I said, ‘Franc, that’s enough honey! We made it as far as we could.'”

Chin said baby Gaia, who was born at 8:40 a.m. weigh 3.6 kg, is happy and healthy and the rest of the family is doing great. Big sister Martina is already very taken with her little sister as well.

“She’s amazing, I’m shocked. She wants to hold her and kiss her and share her toys,” said Chin. “Half the time she’s just ogling over her baby sister, it’s so cute.”

When asked if she plans to have a roadside plan if they choose to have another baby in the future, Chin joked that she wasn’t sure since it worked out so well this time.

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.