PROVO, Utah — One of Utah’s newest residents was born on the border of Provo and Orem, on the side of Interstate-15.
“I still don’t feel like it was real,” said Lindsey Porter.
The mother went into labor last week as she was on the way to the hospital with her husband and 3-year-old daughter.
“I was like, 'Kevin, she’s coming. We’re not going to make it,'" Porter recalled "He was like, 'Well, don’t stop pushing.' And so I got very calm and just let my body do it and got her head out first and then let the rest of it happen and I sat down and I told Kevin, 'Just pull over and call 911.'”
Dispatcher Amber Vera was ready to help as soon as she got the call.
“As soon as I verified where he was, he was like, 'It’s here, the baby’s here,' and so, it was like a huge shock because I wasn’t expecting It,” said Vera, who has been a dispatcher for eight years.
Vera said she remained on the line until emergency responders arrived.
“I was giving him instructions on making sure the baby was breathing," said Vera.
The couple said they couldn't have made it through the stressful ordeal without Vera.
“I’m really grateful for Amber because I was the one freaking out the most and she was the most calming thing for me,” Kevin said.
The Porter family is still trying to process what happened.
“We were so prepared. We had everything in the car for weeks. To me, fast labor is three to four weeks, not 50 minutes. How does that happen?" Lindsey said.
At the end of the day, the Porters say this was the best outcome considering the scenario.
This story was originally reported by Mythili Gubbi for Scripps News Salt Lake City.