Papillion man delivers wife’s baby on I-80, then finishes drive to hospital

Papillion man delivers wife’s baby on I-80, then finishes drive to hospital
Brent Kool with his baby daughter he delivered along Interstate 80 in Omaha.
Brent Kool is a dad who really delivers. The Papillion father stepped into the role of obstetrician when he delivered his and wife Cassie's baby girl along Interstate 80 in Omaha this week. Mom, baby — and dad — are doing just fine. "Our hearts are exploding,'' mom said about the birth of Blakely Rose. "We are so happy." Cassie Kool figured her new baby would arrive in a hurry, but not this fast. The couple have three other children, and mom said she had short deliveries with all. Kool was scheduled to be induced at 7:30 a.m. Monday at Methodist Women's Hospital in Omaha. She woke up about 2 a.m. Monday to use the bathroom, and a half hour later had a strong contraction, and then another and another. She knew it was time so the couple headed out the door just after 3 a.m. and dad told the hospital they were on their way. Right when they got on I-80 at 72nd Street her water broke. Dad called the hospital back and Methodist put delivery room nurse Jessi Cote on the line. Mom could feel the child's head coming out. Kool told her husband to pull over and he found a spot along the shoulder a couple miles west of 72nd Street. He told the nurse to send an ambulance, but she told him there's no time for that. Dad would be delivering this child. "You got this," the nurse told him. Dad dashed to the passenger's side. With the nurse giving instructions, he guided the baby out. Within just minutes he had delivered the couple's fourth child, wrapping his daughter in a towel and resting the infant on his wife's chest with umbilical cord still attached. Cassie Kool knew instantly when she looked at her little girl the baby was going to be just fine. She had good color, and she squealed as she wiggled her arms and legs. The couple said the drive to hospital was quiet, almost surreal, as they rode along with their new child delivered in the middle of the night along Nebraska's big highway. As he drove, Brent Kool asked a few times, "Is she OK?" Mom assured him their baby was doing great. When they arrived at the emergency room entrance, a medical team stood ready. Cassie Kool went home Tuesday and the rest of the family — three sons ages 2, 9 and 11 — greeted their little sister, who weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces and stretched 21 inches long. Dad said he doesn't remember feeling too nervous during the delivery. It all happened so fast. Cote, the nurse, said he was calm and cool through it all. He said his adrenaline kicking in — and  Cote's reassuring voice — made the biggest difference. The couple say they feel blessed for their I-80 baby. And dad knows he and his little girl, his special delivery, will always have a strong bond.
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