Dad delivers baby girl in back seat on I-94

A calm mother, a dad who was able to follow instructions and an aware dispatcher added up to one heck of a birthday story Sunday night.

A woman delivered her second child - a baby girl - in the back seat of a friend's Ford Explorer about 6:18 p.m. at the southbound Interstate 94 and Route 21 interchange, officials said.

Gurnee Fire Department Lt. John Skillman said the Hoffman Estates couple called 911 at 6:16 p.m. and rescue crews arrived at 6:22 p.m.

When they arrived, the baby had been out for about four minutes and the father had used a shoelace to tie the umbilical cord, Skillman said.

Paramedics cut the cord, treated both mom and baby and took them to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.

"The mother gave birth just prior to our arrival. Baby and mom are doing just fine," said Skillman, who has seen several babies delivered in his 22 years as a firefighter and recalled the mom being "remarkably calm" on Sunday.

Citing privacy laws, Skillman could not disclose the names of the parents or newborn.

He said the couple walked around the Gurnee Mills Mall all afternoon in an attempt to induce labor.

"Apparently that was successful," Skillman said.

The dispatcher, who provided instructions to the dad, including an order to tie a shoelace around the umbilical cord, could not immediately be reached for comment.

A message left at the maternity ward for the couple was not immediately returned.