Doctor At Chiropractor's Office Assists In Parking Lot Birth

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SHALER (KDKA) -- A chiropractor who was helping some patients inside his Shaler office jumped into action to help a woman who was in labor in a car in his parking lot Friday.

At 8 pounds 6 ounces and 20 inches long, Rebecca Jean is happy and healthy, but her delivery came quicker than expected for a Shaler couple when Laura Graeber started having contractions.

"We decided to jump in the car as fast as we could to try to get [to the hospital]," Graeber said. "When we got on Route 8, my water broke. We knew there wasn't time, so we called 911 and pulled over by a doctor's office in hopes to find some help."

"This is the first time I've ever seen a delivery," Dr. Marc Funderlich with Morreale Chiropractic said.

Thankfully, Dr. Funderlich was there to help.

"Dr. Phil came over and he said, 'There's a baby being delivered outside,'" Funderlich said. "He was kind of frantic, and there was a frantic husband out there and he said, 'You gotta come outside, you gotta come outside.'"

Funderlich used his medical training to do what he could.

"We have a visceral course and we do a diagnosis course and go through all these things and kinds of cases just in case," he said.

Funderlich was Graeber was in the passenger seat of the car when the baby was crowning. Shaler EMS crews showed up just in time to deliver the baby in the front seat.

"I ran outside and then ran back in looking for towels, just anything to stop blood from going everywhere. Ended up grabbing patient gowns," Funderlich said.

KDKA-TV's Amy Wadas: "Now you can mark that on your resume!"
Funderlich: "Yeah! Now I don't know what's left to see clinically in practice."

The Graebers also had their two older kids with them, and now, they're ready to start the New Year with this new gift.

"Our kids were looking from the window with complete strangers taking good care of them inside the building," Graeber said. "Now they're a happy big brother and a happy big sister."

A patient sitting in the waiting room at the chiropractor's office said she heard the couple's two older kids talking while the delivery was taking place, and their daughter said she wanted a little sister.