‘I’m still in shock’: Unforgettable car birth on Powhite Parkway goes viral
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Central Virginia couple is recalling the unforgettable moment they welcomed their daughter into the world on Powhite Parkway -- a moment that has since gone viral.
In the now-widely viewed video, Jacqueline and Fred Bridy explain how their third child, Naomi, was delivered in the car during the drive to the hospital on May 28, 2025.
On the big day, the couple packed up and headed to the hospital, taking Powhite Parkway. However, the next steps were anything but routine.
“About halfway there, I started feeling this urge to push,” Jacqueline said.
Still from GoPro footage of a May 28, 2025 birth on Powhite Parkway. (Photo: Jacqueline and Fred Bridy)
The then-mother of two began to go into labor in the passenger seat, with no way to stop. Fred continued to drive, not knowing if he needed to pull over or not.
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"I'm driving up on the highway like, 'Is she really about to push this baby out? Oh, my God," Fred said.
In no time at all, that's exactly what happened.
Still from GoPro footage of a May 28, 2025 birth on Powhite Parkway. (Photo: Jacqueline and Fred Bridy)
“Two contractions later, I pushed her out in the car -- it happened extremely fast,” Jacqueline said.
The situation developed so quickly that Jacqueline’s water didn’t even break, resulting in a veiled birth. It’s a rare moment when a baby is born completely into an unbroken sac -- something that happens less than once in every 80,000 deliveries.
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That’s when Fred sprang into action and pulled the sac off the baby, himself.
The once-in-a-lifetime moment was caught on Fred’s GoPro camera.
Jacqueline Bridy and her newborn daughter Naomi shortly after giving birth in her car on Powhite Parkway. (Photo: Jacqueline and Fred Bridy)
Fred Bridy holds his newborn daughter Naomi shortly after she was born in the car on Powhite Parkway. (Photo: Jacqueline and Fred Bridy)
"I'm still in shock that that's how we delivered her," Jacqueline said.
The Bridys decided to share the moment on social media, garnering tens of thousands of views on YouTube and more than 800,000 views on TikTok.
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“Some people are like, ‘Gosh, that scares me, I hope that doesn't happen to me,'" Jacqueline said. "But then others are like, ‘Wow, I can't believe you are so strong!’”
When asked what they learned from their journey, the couple said they would leave a little sooner when dealing with the birth of a child.
The Bridys said they’ll eventually tell Naomi the incredible story of how she was born -- and they'll have footage of the moment to prove it.
