Husband Saw Wife Start to Give Birth in the Car. His Foot Was on the Brake When He Pulled Their Baby Out

A Chicago couple has quite the story to one day share with their newborn daughter about how she entered the world.

Jasmine Kwong, 41, and her husband, Ashwin Avasarala, 40, welcomed baby Aira last week in a place few parents could imagine — inside their car, pulled over along Michigan Avenue.

“Aira was born on the Mag Mile, right by the Tribune Tower,” Kwong told PEOPLE. “You can’t get more Chicago than that.”

The day began early when Kwong woke up around 5 a.m. on Sept. 15 with severe cramping. Since her doctor had warned her that labor could progress quickly, she called the office a couple of hours later. Another doctor advised her to wait until contractions grew more intense.

By 8:30 a.m., though, the pain had become unbearable and Kwong noticed bleeding. She told her husband it was time to leave for the hospital.

On the way, they stopped briefly to drop their toddler at daycare, assuming they still had plenty of time to reach the hospital, just 15 minutes away.

“But we were wrong,” Kwong recalled. “The baby couldn’t wait!”

As contractions intensified, Avasarala tried to comfort his wife. By the time they crossed the river, Kwong realized the baby was coming immediately.

Her husband began to panic when he looked over and saw the baby’s head. He pulled over behind a bus near the Tribune Tower.

“With a foot on the brake, he reached over and pulled the baby out,” Kwong said. “Then he put the car in park, turned on the hazards, and called 911.”

Police officers initially asked them to move before realizing what was happening. They quickly redirected traffic and ensured the couple was safe.

Paramedics soon arrived, cleaned up the newborn, suctioned her nose, and cut the umbilical cord. The family was then taken to the hospital, where Aira spent a day in the NICU receiving oxygen and IV support. After three days, both mother and daughter were discharged.

“Thankfully Aira came out as a firecracker but quickly calmed down,” Kwong said. She shared that her daughter mostly sleeps but enjoys keeping her parents awake at night, often choosing inconvenient moments for diaper changes.

Although the birth was dramatic, Kwong said she and her husband are grateful everything turned out well — even if it took him hours to recover from the shock.

The couple, who married in 2020, both graduated from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. For them, Aira’s unexpected birthplace carried extra meaning.

“We met while studying at Chicago Booth’s part-time program, at the Gleacher Center, which is basically right behind the Tribune Tower,” Kwong explained. “So it’s a full-circle Chicago moment for us. We can’t wait to take her back there and show her exactly where she came into the world.”