But the baby couldn't wait for paramedics to arrive. The father delivered the baby with a fire dispatcher at Chicago's 911 Center on the phone talking him through it.
"The hard part was done before we got there. When we looked at the baby, initially, right when we saw him, he was perfect pink, moving, crying. Great. Mom had a smile. It seemed to be really under control. Everyone seemed calm. We even let the dad cut the cord," said Theresa Bull, fire call taker.
When two Chicago police officers arrived on the scene they found the mother lying in the back seat with the baby -- Leandro Jesus Perez -- on her chest. They made sure Perez was breathing.
"I opened up the back door and found mom lying across the back seat with the baby on her chest. At which time my sergeant told me to check the baby's airway. I swept the baby's mouth with my finger and then started playing with the baby's feet and the baby started moving," said Officer Jeff Phillips, Chicago Police Department.
Paramedics arrived on the scene a short time later. They let the father cut the umbilical cord in the ambulance on his way to the hospital.
"The hard part was done before we got there. When we looked at the baby, initially, right when we saw him, he was perfect pink, moving, crying. Mom had a smile. It seemed to be really under control. Everyone seemed calm. We even let the dad cut the cord," said Theresa Bull, fire call taker.
Perez and his parents are resting now. They are incredibly grateful to police, paramedics, and the 911 call takers.
