Alyse Sparkman once read stories about babies being born in unusual places and thought, “That will never happen to me.”
Afterwards, she delivered her baby at a seafood restaurant.
“It felt like something out of a movie,” recalls Sean Sparkman, 35, Alyse’s husband, in an interview with TODAY.com.
On April 27th, Alyse, who was 37 weeks pregnant, started having regular contractions. The Sparkmans were convinced that it was time to go to the hospital. However, the doctors determined that Alyse was not in active labor and advised her to go back home.
The Sparkmans made a spontaneous decision to have a quick meal at Lily’s Seafood Grill and Brewery in Royal Oak, Michigan. With the weather being a pleasant 75 degrees, they were looking forward to dining on the patio.
It seems that the couple’s unborn daughter was incredibly eager to join them.
Alyse had just taken her first bite of trout Caesar salad when she suddenly felt her water break. She immediately informed Sean about what was happening, and he quickly dashed off to get their car. He would have needed to teleport in order to return in time.
Alyse had a newborn baby girl placed on her chest just two minutes after her water broke.
Sean recalls being at a traffic light when he received a phone call from her. She said, “I had the baby.” Sean’s heart sank as he realized she wasn’t joking.
“I couldn’t believe it when I realized I had missed it. I felt so terrible,” Sean reminisces. “But she reassured me, saying, ‘Don’t beat yourself up about it, just make sure you get here!'”
Fortunately, the Sparkmans found themselves seated next to two retired nurses who were able to carefully untangle the umbilical cord that had become wrapped around the baby’s neck.
Alyse recounts, “She emerged with a purple hue.”
The moment the baby released her first cry, applause and cheers filled the air from the other diners.
The Sparkmans express their unity by joyfully declaring, “God is good.”
Penelope Lily Sparkman was given her middle name in honor of the place where she was born.
“It turned out to be a great decision because initially, we had chosen Danielle, but we weren’t really enthusiastic about it,” Sean explains. “On the other hand, we both absolutely adore the name Lily.”
Penelope, who was born weighing 4 pounds, 8 ounces, was able to leave the hospital just two days after her birth, along with her mother. She happily joined her older brothers, Logan, 5, and Quill, 3.
Sean finds it “pretty cool” that the restaurant will be honoring Penelope Lily by placing a plaque at the table where she was born.
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