Baby Olive Elin Kemaldean will always have a story about her arrival… she won’t remember it, but undoubtedly, she’ll hear it many times.
Baby Olive, daughter of Brandin and Mark Kemaldean, was born while her parents were rushing to the Drumheller hospital on Thursday, March 20, at full term, and by estimates, it was right around Morrin Corner.
“It was probably not the most recommended route of delivery,” laughs Brandin.
Local optometrist Dr. Brandin Gwinner tells the Mail she was scheduled to have a C-section on March 23. Late Wednesday evening, March 19, she started to have some of those feelings that expectant mothers have. They made the decision to head from Hanna, where they live, to the Drumheller Health Centre at about 1:20 a.m.
Mark was driving while Brandin was in the back seat of their pick-up truck. Her parents, Elin and Randy, were on speaker phone as the labour progressed.
“This is my first baby, so I wasn’t sure if these were contractions or if I was in labour or what was going on,” she said. “I was having these pretty intense pains, and my mother was saying, ‘You have to just calm down, you have hours to go… focus on your breathing.’”
“I said, ‘I think she wants to come out!’”
Mark kept the pedal to the metal as they headed down Highway 9 toward Drumheller. Brandin felt a distinct difference in the pain, indicating the baby was coming.
“Mark said, ‘I’m not pulling over, I’m not a doctor, we have to get there!’”
She was concerned because she knew her baby was in breach position, but there was no stopping.
“My body, it wants me to push right now!”
She pushed once, and the baby was on her way. Brandin noticed they were right around Morrin Corner when Olive officially arrived.
Still on speakerphone, her parents finally believed her when she told them she was holding the baby in her hands.
“I said, ‘Hi baby!’ My mom started freaking out, and phoned 911 on my dad’s phone.”
The ambulance was en route but, by then, they were descending into the valley.
She was a quiet baby, which made Brandin worried a bit.
“But I saw her little eyes blinking up at me and (heard) her gurgle, and knew she was okay,” said Brandin.
Baby Olive arrived weighing in at 4 pounds 14 ounces. They stayed in the hospital until the weekend and went home with their healthy, happy baby, and a story that will last a lifetime.
