- Christine Schleppy, 35 weeks pregnant, began having contractions just as the hurricane made landfall on the New Jersey coast.
- Emergency services braved flooded roads and horrendous weather conditions to take the mother to hospital.
Amid the destruction and damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, a New Jersey couple celebrates the miracle of life after enduring an ordeal to bring their baby into the world.
A pregnant mother went into labor as the superstorm hit the Northeast Monday night, forcing the expectant mother to go out in dangerous conditions to seek medical help.
Although she was only 35 weeks pregnant, Christine Schleppy, 34, began having contractions at her home in Skillman, New Jersey, just as the hurricane wreaked havoc on the Garden State and all residents were warned to seek shelter and stay indoors. home.
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Desperate for medical help as her contractions increased in frequency, her husband, David, called 911 and emergency personnel braved the horrendous weather conditions just as the storm made landfall.
“We knew there were a lot of trees down and roads were being closed left and right,” her husband David said. ABC News.
First responders attempted to transport the couple by ambulance to a hospital in Princeton, but flooding and dangerous road conditions made that impossible.
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The ambulance then became stuck in the mud and, as the mother was in agonizing pain, she was transferred to a fire ambulance to take her the rest of the way.
“It was definitely stressful,” her husband said.
The ambulance was eventually able to reach a mobile medical unit created by Hackensack University Medical Center, which had temporarily taken shelter in a local church gym.
He Schleppys welcomed a healthy baby boy, Liam Alexander, at 11pm on Monday.
The newborn weighed 5 pounds, 2 ounces. The couple are already parents to five children, but their latest addition is undoubtedly the most memorable arrival of the brood. The mother and child were reported to be healthy and well.
They were taken to a nearby hospital until they could return home.