

MORRISTOWN — Mary Gayle Cespedes and Roby Mendoza raced to Morristown Medical Center around 2 a.m on Tuesday to deliver their daughter, Zoey.

But Zoey wouldn’t wait.

Cespedes gave birth to the 6-pound, 14-ounce baby in the hospital parking lot, inside the family’s Honda Odyssey. Luckily, security officer Nicolette Frangipane was nearby.

“It was literally one minute,” Frangipane said. “There was just no stopping Zoey. She was getting born and that was it.”

The family is now back at their home in Linden and they learned an important lesson.

About an hour before Zoey was born, Cespedes called the hospital to tell them she was starting to feel “extreme contractions.” She said the doctors told her to wait an hour before coming because she had a false alarm the week before.

This was no false alarm.

“After 10 minutes I told my husband I don’t think I could wait another hour,” Cespedes said. “So we called the hospital and told them ‘we’re coming.’”

Cespedes and Mendoza said they were “very thankful” for Frangipane, but they would tell other parents not to wait if they think they are ready for delivery.

“Once you start feeling the contractions, don’t even hesitate,” Cespedes said. “Just go.”

And Frangipane said she learned an important lesson too. She completed her Emergency Medical Technician training in June, but she never expected to have to deliver a baby.

She said the experience validated her training and reminded her of the importance to be prepared to help out in any situation.

“I love this place and I love my job,” Frangipane said. “I always want to be able to do whatever I can.”

Cespedes and Mendoza, who also have a one-year-old son, can’t believe that Zoey’s birth certificate says she was born in a hospital parking lot.

“She’s never going to live this down,” Mendoza said.

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