Parents Jasmine Kwong and Ashwin Avasarala are now at home enjoying time with their new daughter, Aira, after being discharged from a hospital in Chicago.
However, that’s not where Aira was born.
“Sometimes we’re just in disbelief, catching ourselves shaking our heads or breaking into laughter because it all feels unreal,” Avasarala shared.
Around 8:30 a.m. on Monday, they left their home in South Loop, heading to Prentice Women’s Hospital as Kwong’s contractions intensified.
“It was around five in the morning when the cramps got so strong they woke me up,” Kwong explained. “The baby just couldn’t wait. I had a real sense that it was happening, and just as we crossed a bridge, I felt the need to pull my pants down.”
Avasarala stopped the car on Michigan Avenue near Tribune Tower, the former newspaper headquarters, for a special delivery.
“While keeping my right foot on the brake, I reached over, delivered the baby into her lap, parked the car, turned on the hazards, and called 911,” Avasarala recounted.
Paramedics arrived quickly and took Kwong and Aira to the hospital.
“They asked if the baby was breathing, and I confirmed she was. They assured me, ‘Don’t worry. We’ve got it from here,'” Avasarala said. “They took care of clamping, cleaning, wrapping the baby, and clearing her airways.”
Aira spent the day in the NICU with oxygen support and then went home with her parents and big sister, Jade.
“I think we’re just incredibly lucky, and I mean what a story to tell!” Avasarala said.
It’s a story they plan to share with Aira as she grows up.
“I’m looking forward to bringing her to the location actually. Yeah, it’s like, ‘You were born right here.’ Mag mile, very Chicago story. Can’t make this up,” Kwong said.
“It doesn’t get more Chicago than Michigan Avenue, Tribune Tower, and we both also met in business school at Chicago Booth in the downtown campus at Gleacher, which is basically right behind Tribune Tower. So, we’re going to tell her she could not wait to see where we met,” Avasarala added.
