EDMONDS, Wash. — Jake and Caitlin Hitchner are veteran parents. They have three kids already, so they figured number four would be a breeze.
It was anything but.
"There may have been a bit of overconfidence on my part in making it to the hospital," says Jake.
It was late at night on Dec. 30 when Caitlin started having contractions.
"Really, I just thought it was the start of labor, that we'd have a few hours," Caitlin recalls.
The couple calmly loaded up the car. Jake even took time to shower and grab a few bottles of water and a towel.
But then the baby decided to make his presence known.
It's about a 30-minute drive from the Hitchner's Edmonds home to Swedish Hospital on Seattle's First Hill, so they believed they could make it in time.
"I said, 'He's coming,' and Jake said, 'No, he's not.' I said, 'Yes, he is! Pull over and call 911.' He said, 'No, we're gonna make it to the hospital,'" explains Caitlin.
"In my head, I'm gonna get us there," responds Jake. "Google Maps is saying 10 to 12 minutes."
"There was no way the baby was gonna stay for 12 more minutes," chuckles Caitlin. "I just remember looking over and seeing the speedometer at 68 and I was like, 'That's as fast as you're gonna go?'"
"I've never had a speeding ticket," responds Jake. "I didn't want to get pulled over. I thought that would just slow us down."
Jake called 911. The dispatcher told him to pull over immediately. KING 5 obtained the 911 call capturing the moments of the Edmonds mother's delivery on I-5.
He got to the 50th Street off-ramp near the University of Washington just as the baby came out.
But the drama was just getting started.
"When he first came out, he didn't cry. It was so dark we couldn't see him. Luckily, the dispatcher said check his cord, check his cord," recounts Caitlin.
The umbilical cord was around the baby's neck. Jake was able to unwrap it and hear his son take his first breath. Medics arrived a few minutes later.
"Knowing that he was breathing and was gonna be OK, it was a huge relief," says Jake. "Having the medics arrive made us feel so much better. We're so grateful for them."
Since the Hitchners were alone for the delivery, the space on the birth certificate where a witness is supposed to sign is left blank.
On their drive home from the hospital, the Hitchners passed their baby's birthplace.
"I just remembered the blood-curdling screams that were coming from my wife," says Jake. "I'd never heard her scream like that!"
"It all worked out," smiles Caitlin. "I feel like I can do anything now."
The couple named their fourth boy Boston. Caitlin has never been to the city, she just likes the name.
It could make for a good road trip someday, although maybe Jake will let his wife drive.
"I think the moral to the story is maybe listen to your wife a little better than I did."
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