BREWSTER, MA—A Cape Cod couple experienced an unexpected and dramatic birth last week when their daughter was born in the middle of traffic on Route 6.
Rebecca Mahota and her husband, Danya Mahota, were on their way from their Brewster home to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth on August 8 to welcome their daughter, Summer. However, the baby had other plans and decided to make her entrance sooner than expected.
As they were driving, Rebecca suddenly realized the baby was coming. “She starts screaming, and she’s like, ‘She’s coming,'” Danya recalled. “I’m driving, and I reach down between my wife’s legs, and sure enough, I feel the top of my daughter’s head.”
A Roadside Delivery
Understanding the urgency of the situation, Danya quickly pulled their Land Rover off the highway behind some bushes to provide privacy. Rebecca, aware of the situation, told Danya, “We’re gonna have to do this right here.” Danya, despite having no medical experience, calmly agreed, saying, “Okay baby, let’s just go slow and figure it out.”
In the passenger seat of their vehicle, Danya delivered their daughter while Rebecca pushed. Baby Summer began crying immediately after being born, which was a huge relief to her parents. “Everything was great,” Danya said, adding humorously that Rebecca “went through a checklist like a Mercedes dealership, a 150-point inspection.”
Reflecting on the experience, Rebecca said it all happened so fast due to the adrenaline. “The most nerve-wracking part was making sure we were all breathing and okay,” she said. “And then we just looked at each other like, ‘That just happened.'”
A Memorable Stop at Dunkin’
With the baby safely delivered, the couple realized they couldn’t stay on the highway shoulder. They decided to continue driving, now with an extra passenger on board. They eventually stopped at a Dunkin’ in Sagamore Beach, where paramedics and police arrived to take Rebecca and Summer to the hospital.
In a true Massachusetts moment, Danya was handed a sterilized exacto knife and cut his daughter’s umbilical cord in the Dunkin’ parking lot. Afterward, Rebecca and Summer were taken to the hospital for monitoring and were released a few days later.
The Search for Lost Items
While recovering in the hospital, the couple realized that two important items were missing: Rebecca’s phone and Danya’s wedding ring, which had slipped off during the birth. Using GPS tracking, they located Rebecca’s phone, but finding Danya’s ring required more effort.
A few days later, Danya, with the help of friends and a metal detector, returned to Route 6 to search for his ring. After some time, he found it about eight feet from where the phone had been, having slipped off his finger during the chaotic delivery.
A Safe Arrival and a ‘Show-Stopping’ Birth
Rebecca credited Danya for the safe delivery, acknowledging that the situation could have turned out differently. “The way he managed to deliver her safely without causing harm is absolutely incredible,” she said.
Despite the unusual circumstances, the couple is thankful for Summer’s health and have already given her a fitting nickname. “She had a different plan to enter this world,” Rebecca said. “I keep calling her the show stopper.”
