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‘She Pushed, He Flew': Meet the ‘Chevron Baby' Born at a Poway Gas Station

“I was definitely not happy about having my baby in the car,” the mother said

For years to come, this is the story that one San Diegan will tell about how he got his nickname, "Chevron."

Holly Hill and William Sudzuk had it all planned. They were expecting a beautiful baby boy on Sept. 27, and Hill planned to deliver her baby at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital in Birdland.

Their journey from their Ramona home to the hospital was meant to be a joyful, exciting time.

But on Wednesday – a full two weeks before baby's due date – the couple quickly discovered they would meet their new son a lot sooner than they expected.

At 11 p.m., Hill's contractions were 15 minutes apart, and an hour and a half later, they were only five minutes apart. The two began heading to the hospital early Thursday.

“Made it about 15 minutes out of Ramona before, you know, everything happened,” Hill told NBC 7.

She was sitting in the passenger seat while Sudzuk drove.

Her water broke on State Route 67 near Highland Valley and Dye roads – still 30 miles away from the hospital. It was about 2 a.m.

“When your body is not under any medication, it’s pretty clear when you're gonna go. I had no control over it,” Hill said. “(It) started progressing in a very, very uncomfortable way.”

Shortly after Hill’s water broke, she knew the baby was coming fast.

“I’m like, ‘You gotta pull over because we’re about to have this kid,’ and (Sudzuk) goes, ‘What?’ Bless him,” Hill said.

The Ramona couple called 911 and stopped at a Chevron gas station on Scripps Poway Parkway in Poway. The gas station parking lot was completely empty, Hill said.

Sudzuk said the phone was on speaker but he had trouble hearing the dispatcher over Hill’s screams, so he held it up to his ear.

And then, it happened.

“All of a sudden, I turn around and half the head is sticking out, and I just get my hand in there, and the baby shoots right on out,” Sudzuk said. “She pushed, he flew, and I ended up catching him while I was on the phone.”

Hill said Sudzuk was a “good catch with one hand.”

And while not exactly according to plan, Simon Marshall was born at 2:35 a.m. He was a healthy 8 pounds, 6 ounces and 22.5 inches long.

“Everything about him is perfect,” Hill said.

The 911 dispatcher coached the couple through the next steps – even helping Sudzuk clamp the umbilical cord with a piece of string. Hill, Sudzuk, and their baby eventually made it to the hospital.

“This was a busy, busy day,” Sudzuk said. “This is her second one, and this is my third one, and all of them – not one of them more eventful than this.”

“I was definitely not happy about having my baby in the car,” Hill said. “You hear about, ‘Oh yeah, we just barely made it to the hospital.’ No one, like, ‘Oh, we had to pull over on the side of the road.’ It doesn’t seem like it would happen, but it did.”

Simon Marshall already has a nickname, his parents said.

“His nickname is Chevron,” Hill said. Another nickname going around the hospital is “Chevy.”

“I’m thinking about getting a Chevron sign now above his bed – his crib,” Sudzuk said.

The couple said while they may have to re-decorate the nursery, they’re just happy Simon Marshall is healthy and “perfect.”

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