Alabama mom laughs with joy as baby boy is born on birth center sidewalk

An Alabama woman was overcome with joy and laughter after giving birth to her third child, a baby boy, on a sidewalk outside a birth center.

Key Takeaways:

• Mercedes Boldon and her husband drove 40 minutes to a birth center, with contractions reaching four minutes apart.

• When she arrived, she had no time to get inside, and with the help of midwives, she gave birth on the sidewalk outside the building.

• Despite any anxieties about the public birth, she erupted in laughter when her son was born.

The Details:

According to local news, Mercedes Bolden and her husband drove 40 minutes to the Alabama Birth Center in Huntsville while Bolden’s contractions went from eight minutes apart to four minutes apart. But as she arrived, her water broke.

With no time to get inside the building, she dropped to the ground and gave birth to her third child, a son whom they named Ivan. Despite the tense situation, she was overcome with joy.

“As soon as we got there, I had to get on the ground,” she said, “because like I just, the pressure was just… he was coming out of there.” She added, “He wouldn’t wait for nothing.”

After just two pushes, and with the help of midwives, Ivan was born.

'Definitely a wild experience': Woman can't get inside hospital, gives birth on sidewalk

“It went by really, really quickly, so I didn’t have time to freak out about the pain or anything,” Bolden said.

Bolden was a bit concerned about giving birth in a public space, but her happiness trumped any anxiety.

“They probably heard me screaming,” she said. “It was definitely a wild experience. And then as soon as he came out, I was just like, I was laughing hysterically, because I’m like, ‘No way!’ And I really had to FaceTime my mom.”

When her mother answered the call and saw her daughter on the ground, she was worried, but once Bolden moved the camera to show her Ivan, the family erupted together in joyous laughter.

Zoom Out:

Bolden’s is one of many stories of women giving birth to their babies much more quickly than anticipated.

In 2020, Florida mom Susan Anderson gave birth in the parking lot just outside her birthing center, failing to make it to the birthing tub inside. It was her second child — and no one anticipated her labor being quite so short. Her husband and a midwife rushed into action.

In 2021, a nurse gave birth to her baby in a Texas gas station restroom after her waters suddenly broke during what was intended to be a quick pit stop. Amazingly, she stood up and caught her baby boy when he quickly emerged.

Early in 2025, a baby boy was born in the parking lot of an Alabama Krispy Kreme doughnut shop because of a massive snowstorm in the area that prevented his parents from getting to the hospital in time.

Thankfully, these babies all made a safe entrance into the world, despite their unusual birth sites.

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