TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — While many families spent the holiday weekend celebrating the nation’s birthday, one Nogales couple had a different reason to celebrate. Brandon and Astrid Press experienced a surprise delivery on Interstate 19 that brought their daughter into the world under extraordinary circumstances.
The parents were on their way from Nogales to Northwest Hospital in Tucson to welcome their second child when the situation quickly took an unexpected turn.
“It’s about an hour drive, maybe an hour and ten to the hospital,” Brandon Press said.
They quickly learned time wasn’t on their side. Astrid’s contractions began late Saturday night, picking up intensity in the early hours of Sunday morning.
“Four A.M. came around, they just started hammering,” Brandon said. “Two minutes at a time, super hard contractions, so that was our sign to let’s get out of here.”
The couple jumped into Brandon’s Dodge Ram pickup and sped north on the highway. Just 15 minutes into the drive, Astrid realized the baby was coming faster than expected.
“My husband, he seriously thought I wasn’t gonna go into labor in the car,” Astrid said.
“To be honest, I thought she was just being dramatic, and never took the situation that serious, until I saw a baby’s head come out!” Brandon added.
Brandon immediately called 911, but there was no time to wait. Astrid delivered their baby in the passenger seat.
“I had to grab the baby myself,” Astrid said. “The next exit on the freeway, the fire department was right there and we had an ambulance waiting for us.”
Looking back on the experience, Brandon said, “In my head, I never anticipated, never believed something like that could happen. It’s like something you see in the movies.”
The couple had chosen to wait until birth to find out the baby’s gender, preparing names for either possibility.
“Abigail!” Brandon exclaimed upon seeing their newborn.
“What?” Astrid asked.
“Abigail!” he repeated.
“Oh, it’s a girl!” Astrid said.
Despite the chaos, both parents expressed gratitude for how everything turned out.
“It’s an awesome story to tell. I’m so thankful and thank God everything turned out the way it did,” Astrid said.
Brandon, Astrid, and baby Abigail were later released from Northwest Hospital, all in good health.
——
Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
----
STAY IN TOUCH WITH US ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
