WEST FARGO - With his wife, Sarah, moments away from giving birth and help nowhere in sight, Brady Kummer wasn't sure if he was ready to follow the ambulance dispatcher's instructions.
"She told me I had to go get some towels and a shoelace," Kummer said. "She started asking me if I could see the head. I told her, 'I don't know if I can do this.'"
In the end, he didn't have to: The ambulance showed up a few seconds later, and a healthy baby girl - Lauren Nicole Kummer - arrived shortly thereafter, right there in the driveway.
The impromptu delivery took place around 5:30 a.m. Monday at the Kummers' Eagle Run home. Sarah wasn't supposed to be due for a few more weeks, but Monday morning, she could tell the baby was coming.
By the time Brady had arranged for a sitter for the couple's older daughter, Kylie, the situation had grown urgent. Ambulance personnel got Sarah onto a stretcher but no further.
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The paramedics "said that's the first time that they've ever really seen that happen right there on the spot," Kummer said.
He praised the crew for their work and said they got a round of applause when they arrived at the hospital.
"They saved the day," he said.
Baby Lauren should be comfortably at home soon, and no one was worse for the wear from the morning madness, her father said.
Monday also happened to be Brady Kummer's birthday. He can't imagine a better present.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Marino Eccher at (701) 241-5502
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