Opera Singer Gives Birth in the Backseat of a Car as She and Her Husband Were Driving Home

New York opera singer, Emily Geller Hardman, gave birth to her baby in the backseat of a car on a busy highway. Emily Geller Hardman was at a hotel room in Pennsylvania when her water broke at midnight.

Emily Hardman and her husband Travis were at a wedding in a Pennsylvania hotel on May 15. Emily was 37 weeks into her pregnancy and believed she had a few weeks to go for the birth of their baby.

The night before the delivery, Emily and Travis had danced a lot at the wedding and had no clue that the baby was on the way. The couple returned to their room at around 11 p.m. Soon after they fell asleep, Emily’s water broke.

Prepping For Delivery

Emily didn’t have any contractions and went back to sleep without stressing much. She was determined to deliver her second child vaginally since her firstborn was via an elective C-section and recovering from it was painful.

Emily had been preparing her mind and body for three years to deliver naturally. She read books, listened to podcasts, did exercises, and arranged with midwives to deliver her baby at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut. In a conversation with Daily Voice about going into labor, Emily said:

“I was doing a lot of work to prepare myself and my body. I was looking forward to being in labor and I was looking forward to having the opportunity to push my baby out.”

Going Into Labor

At 3 in the morning, Emily started to feel intense contractions and immediately woke Travis. The couple began packing to go home. By 4 a.m. the contractions became so intense that Travis and Emily had to immediately drive to Danbury Hospital in Connecticut.

Emily knew she had to remain calm as the hospital was a four-hour drive from the hotel in Pennsylvania. She was using a birthing app that has a calming voice that talks mothers in labor through each contraction.

[A]s she reached down, she could feel the baby’s head.

Delivery In The Backseat

Emily kept changing position but couldn’t find one that eased her discomfort in the backseat of the car. After an hour and a half, she had Travis pull over so she could step out to stand up comfortably.

Emily knew they still had a long way to go, so she hopped back in the car, but she had no idea how far she was dilated. Emily was under a lot of pressure and as she reached down, she could feel the baby’s head. She said:

“At some point I held her kind of upside down to try to get any fluids out from her mouth or nose. But she seemed fine and Travis called 911 but she didn't need anything. She was good”

Baby Delivered At 60mph

In a similar story, Chiara Musetti gave birth to her baby girl at 60mph as her partner sped to reach the hospital through flooded roads. When Sienna popped out, the duo’s car was only a few minutes away from Furness General Hospital.

Musetti explained that during her journey from their home to the hospital, she was calm, but as soon as the baby’s head started popping out, she and her partner started screaming.

Mom Gives Birth In SUV

Alejandra Salazar gave birth to her baby boy on the Pacific Coast Highway while her husband, Joshua Lagana, was driving them to the Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center in Harbor City.

Salazar immediately held the baby close to her chest and rubbed his back. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. Baby Lucas is doing well, much to his parents' relief.