AWWW

California Mom Gives Birth to Baby Girl in Hotel During Fire Evacuation Order

Rachel Page gave birth to a healthy 9-pound, 3-ounce girl in a Napa hotel.

A California mom who fled her home on Saturday under a Kincade Fire mandatory evacuation order gave birth to a baby girl Monday in a Napa hotel, The San Francisco Chronicle reports. Rachel Page and her husband, James, knew their baby would be coming soon when they got the evacuation order. After fleeing the evacuation zone, the couple decided to leave their 2-year-old in the care of friends and check into a hotel to re-create the home birth environment they and their midwives had planned. “I just had to change my mind-set of this might be the space. I meditated the night before, and I meditated in the morning,” Rachel Page said. “I was trying to do things to just remain calm because the last two days had been so stressful.” Her contractions started on Monday morning, and in the afternoon a healthy 9-pound, 3-ounce girl was born. “She had a really gorgeous, beautiful, straightforward birth,” midwife Bee Lauher told the newspaper.

Shortly after the birth, however, the hotel called the room to make sure everything was okay after receiving a complaint about the noise coming from the room. “We told them, ‘Yes, everything’s fine. We just had a baby.’” James Page said. The Pages reportedly named their daughter Penelope, and their home is still standing.