Clackamas Co. parents welcome baby in car, thank fire department for help

CLACKAMS COUNTY Ore. (KPTV) - Forest Shuman came into the world at 8 pounds, 7 ounces, but not in a hospital as his mom Tristan and dad Dustin had hoped.

“It was only 30 minutes to the hospital, but it took him 10,” Tristan Shuman said.

He decided to arrive in their car.

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“Kinda rushed and got through the curves then I felt this immense pressure and told him I was like ‘I think he’s here, pretty sure he’s coming,’” she said. “He reached over and was like ‘Yep he’s here.’ I caught him, threw him up on my chest and he only made the littlest cry.”

They weren’t far from Clackamas County’s Redland Fire Station.

“I drive by here all the time, and there’s normally a cop here so I was hoping he’d see me, or these guys would be here and luckily we whipped in here and they were all here to help,” Dustin Shuman said.

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Smith was at the station that night and his training kicked into gear, though he said that was his first time helping with a delivery on the job.

“I’ve been working for Clackamas for five years and that’s the most I’ve heard a doorbell ring at the station,” Firefighter Tyler Smith said. “She was holding him in her arms, so what we did is we clamped the cord and let dad cut it. We monitored both their vitals and waited for AMR, they got here quickly and transported them both to Willamette Falls.”

Mom and baby are doing just fine and a few days after his birth, the trio of mom dad and newborn had to go say thanks to the crew at Redland Station.

“‘Oh yeah, you were born in a car,’” Tristan Shuman said, laughing. “I’m sure he’s going to hear that his whole life.”

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