Father says baby born on Dutch motorway is in good condition, mother recovering

Baby Bente, who was born on the A13 highway near Delft on Sunday, is doing well, her father, Luca from Vlaardingen, told RTL Nieuws. Mother Shannen is also recovering from the eventful birth of their second child, he said.

Shannen and Luca were rushing to the hospital on Sunday afternoon, with their midwife following in another car. “My partner actually didn’t want to go by car because she couldn’t sit. It was too painful. But in the end, we had no choice, and we had to leave quickly. Luckily with the midwife.”

In the end, the hospital proved to be too far away. “Her water had already broken when the midwife arrived at our house. In the car, we found out she was already fully dilated. Thirty seconds before Shannen gave birth, we stopped the car on the hard shoulder. After that, it all went very quickly. I cut the umbilical cord on the highway.”

The police and ambulance arrived moments later. They blocked the Delft exit and offered support. The ambulance took mother and daughter to the hospital for a checkup. They are both doing well and resting, Luca said. “In any case, I will never forget this birth.”

According to Luca, Bente got teddy bears from the police and paramedics, and the public works department Rijkswaterstaat gave her the hectometre marker from where she was born.