NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Josh and Jena Thomas aren’t new parents. Their oldest daughter is just shy of 3 years old. So as they prepared for the birth of their son, they thought they had a good plan.
“The hope was that we could labor at home for a little bit then get checked in and go to the birthing center then have an unmediated birth — which is exactly what we did with our daughter and that took 29 hours. So, I felt like we had plenty of time to make this plan happen,” says Jena Thomas with a laugh.
Early on it seemed baby number two would stick to that script. Labor started slowly with a trip to the hospital and back home to wait for more progress. By the early morning hours, Jena knew it was time to return to the hospital. They left their East Nashville home at 4:30 a.m.
"I was starting to have contractions pretty intensely, so I asked Josh every time I have a contraction if you could just stop, so I could have a little relief,” says Jena. "The lights seemed timed. We’d be approaching a light as the contraction started and by the time it was over it was turning green, so everything seemed nicely timed, and we commented that this was working really well.”
Until it wasn't.
“Then we were about halfway on the interstate and had a big contraction and at the height of that contraction my water broke and that’s when it was definitely go time.”
‘There was no missing the urgency in her voice when she said her water broke,” remembers Josh. “We started driving about 100 mph down the interstate to get there as fast as possible.”
Jena fought the urge to push as they sped down the interstate, onto Charlotte, and into the parking garage at Ascension St. Thomas Hospital. Josh made it to the 3rd floor — the obstetrics emergency entrance.
“He says all you have to do is walk into the hospital, and I said I cannot do that. Thankfully he didn’t question that I couldn’t come, and he took off running to the door,” says Jena.
“I just yelled there’s a baby coming in the car right now and then turned around and left,” says Josh.
It worked. Josh said nurse on nurse on nurse just started coming into the garage surrounding the car taking care of her.”
In all the chaos, Jena remembers the song playing in the car from her birth playlist and hearing this lyric: “It’s nothing short of a miracle that I’m here,” as the nurses went to work.
"I definitely felt some peace about that. It was a miracle that we made it. When they handed him to me, I opened my eyes and I realized I can see the entrance to the emergency room and I just remember seeing so many faces, so many nurses, so many doctors right there and I was just so grateful to be holding him.”
It is a story that will follow Jackson for a lifetime likely retold at every birthday — of an unusual setting, heroic efforts, brave parents and an unexpected blessing in all of it.
"That’s my biggest takeaway. I think it’s a miracle. I think it’s God," Josh said.
