A woman experienced a very emotional day after helping with the delivery of her grandchild hours after her own mother died.
Elissa West helped her daughter Alysa give birth to her baby boy in a parking lot after she unexpectedly went into labor while having lunch at her home in Cherry Hill, N.J. on Feb. 25, the Philadelphia news outlet WPVI reported.
After entering the car, it became clear to Elissa that her daughter wouldn’t make it to the hospital. “We hopped in the car, drove halfway down the street, and she started screaming ‘Mom, my water just broke,’ ” she told the outlet.
Elissa called 911 and parked in a parking lot on the corner of Kingston Drive as she realized she’d have to help deliver the baby.
“I jumped out of the car. 911 says, ‘Do you see anything? I said yeah I can see the head,’ ” she recalled to WPVI. “Within seconds, the top of the baby’s head popped out, and a couple seconds later, I just said, ‘Give me a little push,’ and out he came, and I caught him.”
Alysa told the outlet, “You don’t think you can handle something like that, but when you’re in the situation and you have to, you’d be surprised what you can do.”
Baby Noah arrived just hours after Elissa’s mother unfortunately passed away from leukemia.
“It was very sad about my mother, but I think that this baby was sent as a distraction because he certainly distracted all of us from our day,” she told WPVI of her “beautiful” grandson.
“He really was that comfort and calming that we needed as a family, and we can heal,” Alysa told the outlet.
Paramedics at Virtua Health in Cherry Hill reached the scene “minutes before” the baby arrived and said he was “in good health,” WPVI reported. They praised Alyssa and her mother for their “quick-thinking and composure.”
“It’s a remarkable story with a happy outcome,” said paramedic Ryan Kelly, per the outlet.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The family is now in mourning while also celebrating their new addition Noah. “My mother loved holding babies, and unfortunately she won’t get to hold this one, but she’s there,” Elissa told WPVI.
In another coincidence, the funeral for Elissa’s mother will be held on March 8 — the same day as Noah’s due date.
“She would be elated,” added Alysa. “And I know she’s looking down right now just so excited for me.”
Read the full article here
