PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW/NBCNC) – Ada’s mother, Valerie Gordon said, “It’s 4:15. I wake up in pain. Measurable, timeable. Within a few minutes, I’m waking him up and saying it’s time to go.”
They raced out the door, driving in from Cascade Locks. “While we’re on the way, my contractions get worse. I’m praying to god to slow them down,” Valeria recalled.
Their first stop, a Dairy Queen parking lot in Troutdale where they dropped Ada off with their grandma. They left Ada and took off.
“Our goal was to go into Portland Providence and deliver with the midwife group there,” Valerie said, “When I realized as he was pulling out of the parking lot, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I think she’s crowning.’”
They quickly changed course, heading to the nearest hospital.
Time ran out—whether they were ready or not—Clare was coming into this world.
Valerie said, “I actually ended up delivering her in the front seat of the car. So, I’m holding her down in my lap. She does, thankfully, immediately start crying. On one hand, it was amazing, on the other hand, it was terrifying.”
Matthew Gordon said, “We just kept going. She was born as we were going. We debated stopping, but decided driving was the better option, the faster option.”
They kept driving, Matthew with his foot on the pedal and Clare in Valerie’s arms.
“I’m like, ‘Ok, I’m all right. I’m holding the baby in my lap we’re gonna get there.’ That’s all I remember during the drive.”
Clare weighed in at 7 pounds, 4 ounces. Both Valerie And Clare are healthy and doing fine. They went home Wednesday.
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