CONCORD — The plan was for Bay Area Crisis Nursery staff members to watch the woman’s young son while she delivered her newborn baby at a San Francisco hospital. But a driving rainstorm Tuesday night turned a quick cab ride into a two-hour-plus slog through traffic and by the time she stepped into the Concord nonprofit’s parking lot, she was in heavy labor.

By 7:26 p.m. Tuesday, the Bay Area Crisis Nursery became a delivery room when a healthy baby boy was delivered on the lobby couch — a first for the 37-year nonprofit that provides emergency infant care for needy parents or guardians.

“This week the Bay Area Crisis Nursery truly experienced a miracle,” the nursery wrote on its Facebook page with a photo of the newborn baby boy. “The Nursery sends our blessings to this wonderful family … This is truly the youngest child to ever be at the Nursery.”

On Friday, Lisa Heimbruch, the nursery office manager, shared the story with this newspaper. The mother gave the facility permission to release a photo of the newborn baby, but they are not releasing the name of the baby or his mother, who is staying at a San Francisco shelter.

Heimbruch said the nursery got a call from the mom at around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. She was at the San Francisco hospital where she planned to give birth.

“We’re the only crisis nursery in the Bay Area and she had no other family to help watch the 1-year-old,” Heimbruch said. There are only five such crisis nurseries in the state and the one in Concord is the only location in the Bay Area.

So, the mother thought she had plenty of time to get to Concord from San Francisco and back, but the storm had other plans, Heimbruch said.

“It was my understanding the taxi driver was sweating it out,” she laughed.

She finally arrived at the Concord facility around 7 p.m. and was already on the phone with 911 operators.

“The staff on duty could tell she was in active labor. They needed to help get her out of the taxi,” Heimbruch said.

Staff tried to quickly get her son signed into care, so she could make it to a nearby hospital, but dispatchers could tell there was no time. By 7:18 p.m., Contra Costa Fire firefighters from Station 8 arrived in the lobby. About eight minutes later, the Bay Area Crisis Center had its youngest customer.

“The firefighters said it only took like four contractions before the baby came out,” Confire spokesman Steven Hill said.

“We’ve had babies as young as 3 days old before, but that’s our youngest,” Heimbruch said.

Paramedics drove the mother and her newborn son to a nearby hospital and Heimbruch said she visited the happy and healthy newborn the next day at the hospital. On Thursday, the mother picked up her infant son from the crisis nursery and the staff got to meet the baby.

“Now, of course, we need a new couch,” she said. And a rug.

The nursery mentioned the furniture needs on its Facebook page and was inundated with offers, but Heimbruch said they need certain materials and specifications, so a monetary donation to the nursery (www.bayareacrisisnursery.org) would be best.

“We call the waiting room the delivery room now,” Heimbruch laughed.