Grandma delivers her own grandson on way to hospital

DEPTFORD, N.J. (WPVI) -- It is not every day that a grandmother gets to deliver her own grandchild. But that's what happened on the way to the hospital in Gloucester County.

As a bartender, Ida Eldredge of Deptford is used to handling deliveries. But it's usually beer, not a baby - and certainly not her own grandson.

"I jumped out of the car and within seconds her water broke," Eldredge said. "I could feel him and I was like, 'He's gonna come right now.'"

Wednesday afternoon Ida's daughter, Samantha Beeler, began having contractions. They got in the car headed to Virtua Hospital in Voorhees, but had to pull over at nearby Blackwood Lake when the baby wouldn't wait.

Ida dialed 911, then took matters into her own hands.

"I saw his little head. So I grabbed his head, helped the rest of him come out. He didn't cry at first, so I swiped in the inside of his mouth 'til we heard a little cry," Eldredge said.

"My mom just kind of wrapped him up and handed him to me and by the time I had him in my arms there was the first police officer pulling up," said Beeler.

Little Kayden entered the world at 6 lbs. 13 oz. in the front seat of his grandma's SUV.

"Every emotion you could possibly think of happened at that moment. It was fear, it was happiness - lots of screaming and crying both happy and scared," Eldredge said.

Grandma Ida can mix up a mean cocktail, but has no experience delivering babies. She now has quite a sobering story to share with her customers.

"I had so many phone calls. They're like, 'is this really, really true?' I'm like, 'yes, unfortunately it is. This really happened,'" she said.

"I was kind of worried, but then I wasn't because this woman can do everything," Beeler said of her mother.

This is Samantha's second child. Kayden's father missed the birth because he's hospitalized in Florida. But what a story this family can tell about how and where he was born.

By the way, Ida says she had her car detailed after it was all over.