A Utah woman’s trip to the hospital took an unforgettable turn when she ended up giving birth in the lobby — right under a Christmas tree.
The surprise delivery happened just days before Christmas, after Karina Largo and her husband rushed to Orem Community Hospital when her labor progressed suddenly and fast.
“Yes, I wanted to have [the baby] in a room,” Largo told NBC affiliate KSL. “You always picture you’ll be surrounded with doctors and nurses … helping you.”
Largo said her contractions escalated quickly on the way to the hospital.
“My water broke by Center Street and McDonald’s,” she recalled. “I just felt like I needed to push, and my husband said, ‘Just wait a little longer,’ and I tried, but I told him, ‘I can’t, I have to push now.’”
The couple arrived at the hospital at about 2:49 a.m. local time.
“I was yanking at him and pulling on him,” Largo said.
Labor and delivery nurse Jessica Foutz noted how quickly things can move once labor begins.
“I mean, babies come whenever they want to,” Foutz said. “People go into labor, and sometimes it goes really, really fast.”
Largo first caught the attention of Foutz and nurse Corrina Bacon after someone noticed her through a window.
“She looked up and noticed someone walking in the door and she said, ‘I think I need to go grab a wheelchair for them,’” Bacon said. “As she ran out to get the wheelchair, we peeked through the window and could see that she was pretty uncomfortable.”
By then, Largo’s baby was on the way.
“I just want to lay down and I want to have the baby here, and the nurses were so nice,” she said.
Baby Jaxson arrived on the lobby floor — just three minutes after his parents walked through the doors.
“It was the greatest gift. Just a simple birth,” Largo said.
Only afterward did she realize exactly where she was.
“I didn’t even realize I was under the tree until I looked up and I was like, ‘Oh! The branches!’” she said. “It was definitely an unplanned gift, and I loved it.”
Jaxson now joins his older brother and sister, who reportedly decided he’s “a cute baby, so I guess we’ll keep him.”
The family also received a memorable keepsake: the Christmas tree that stood above the unexpected scene.
“I didn’t really want him to come through Christmas, but the Lord knows its timing,” Largo said. “He knew I needed this gift right now at this moment, so I’m very excited.”
