Nampa couple’s first child makes his entrance in hospital parking lot

Erik and Natalie Alanis thought they had more time.

On Tuesday night, in anticipation of their son’s Jan. 14 due date, they ordered a video camera from Amazon so they could record the birth.

Then, about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, “My wife woke me up and told me her water broke,” Erik told the Statesman. “She sent me to Wal-Mart.”

The couple figured this first birth would take awhile, and they wanted a video camera to record their history.

They didn’t make it to the delivery room, though.

They left their southern Nampa home, bound for St. Luke’s Meridian Medical Center. Erik said he coached Natalie in her breathing during the 20-minute drive, helping them stay calm.

“Right about Ten Mile (road) she told me the baby was coming,” Erik said.

By the time they got to Eagle Road and pulled into the St. Luke’s parking lot, he said, “I could hear him starting to cry.” Erik parked and hurried to help Natalie. The baby’s head was already out, and Erik finished the delivery and placed their son on Natalie’s stomach.

Kenny M. Alanis — just over 7 pounds and 19 3/4 inches long, with plenty of dark hair — was born. Erik figures it was around 7:30 a.m., but he notes it was a bit of a blur.

An ER nurse had just arrived to work, and Erik flagged her down as she got out of her car. She came running.

The hospital’s childbirth team mobilized, getting mother and baby into the emergency room for assessment and care before taking them upstairs, said Labor and Delivery Director Beth Hirst.

“Mom and baby are both doing fantastic,” Hirst said Wednesday afternoon.

Deliveries en route to the hospital are “not frequent, but it’s something we do see,” she said, so the preparation and protocol were in place.

Delivering their own son was “life-changing” for the couple, Erik said.

“I don’t want to do it again. But I’m glad I did it, absolutely,” he said.

One lovely aspect of Kenny’s earlier than expected arrival, he said, is that it coincides with the first anniversary of the death of Natalie’s 99-year-old grandmother, with whom she was very close.

“He was born about the same time they notified her (of the death) last year,” Erik said. “So now we have something positive to remember on this day.”

And they figure they’ll have plenty of opportunities to use that video camera as Kenny grows.

This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 7:55 PM with the headline "Nampa couple’s first child makes his entrance in hospital parking lot."