NEED TO KNOW
- A dad helped deliver his own daughter outside a Texas hospital Sept. 2 just moments after pulling up to the facility
- Surveillance footage captured outside the Methodist Dallas Medical Center shows the moment the mom and dad pulled up to the hospital as the baby was being born
- The parents have named their baby girl Kamilah
A dad helped deliver his own daughter outside a Texas hospital, and the whole ordeal was caught on camera.
Luis Mendoza was taking his wife Angelica Martinez to the hospital on Sept. 2 when she began to have “big contractions” about two blocks away from Methodist Dallas Medical Center, according to CBS affiliate KTVT and ABC affiliate WFAA.
“The baby’s head started coming out,” Mendoza explained, “and I reached out to make sure she didn’t come out.”
After arriving at the hospital, Mendoza leapt out of the car to try and help his wife, according to FOX affiliate KDFW. But the baby was not waiting, so he helped deliver her right then and there.
Surveillance footage taken from outside the hospital and shared by the local outlets showed the couple’s white SUV pull up to the hospital as Mendoza helped his wife.
Hospital workers soon rushed outside to assist. Carrie Urista, a retired nurse manager who works at the front desk, was the first person to meet the couple outside the hospital.
“Dad was the hero of the day,” Urista said, according to KTVT and WFAA. “He had already lifted the baby up and laid her on Mommy’s tummy.”
John Phillips, the hospital’s president, walked by the scene. “Not every day at a hospital is like a television drama, but this day it was,” he said, KDFW reported.
Hospital officials did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Mendoza and Martinez have named their baby girl Kamilah. The dad said helping deliver his daughter was “very special” and described it as a “once in a lifetime moment” to KTVT.
“It’s a tale that I can tell her later on, how she came to this world,” Mendoza said.
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 couple returned to Methodist Dallas Medical Center to thank those who helped them with the delivery, according to KTVT.
“We are very, very grateful that everything turned out well,” Martinez said. “Thanks be to God and that we now have with us our princess Kamilah.”
