Ultimate Father's Day gift: San Antonio dad delivers own son in parking lot

Father’s Day came early for Luis Cerda. Very early. Around 2 a.m. on June 21, Cerda was on the line with a 911 dispatcher while he and his pregnant, laboring wife sat in the parking lot of a San Antonio QuikTrip.

Key Takeaways:

• A San Antonio man delivered his newborn son in a gas station parking lot after his wife went into active labor on the highway in the early hours of Father’s Day.

• The umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck at birth. The father freed it before the infant took his first breath.

• Guided by a 911 dispatcher and later assisted by firefighters on scene, the family made it through without incident. Baby Luis III is home and healthy.

The Details:

Luis Cerda and his wife Mariah had barely cleared their neighborhood when her labor made it evident that their baby would not wait to be born. Having been through childbirth before, Mariah knew what was happening. Cerda immediately got off I-37, pulled into a QuikTrip, and dialed 911.

By the time Cerda reached his wife's side of the car, the delivery was already underway. The newborn baby boy arrived with the umbilical cord around his neck, and Cerda unwound it before the baby drew his first breath and began to cry. 

A 911 dispatcher had been on the line since Cerda pulled over, walking him through the situation in real time as it unfolded.

Firefighters arrived shortly after and handed Cerda scissors to cut the cord, formally welcoming Luis Cerda III into the world.

The Bottom Line:

Mother, father, and son are all home and doing well, and the Cerda family now has a Father’s Day story that requires no embellishment.

“It’s like the best gift any father could have,” Cerda said. “Especially delivering him. And he’s named after me, too, so that makes it even sweeter.”