Local News

Brewster woman reportedly gives birth in Cape Cod traffic, dad cuts umbilical cord at Dunkin’

"They handed me a sterilized X-Acto knife, and I, like every Massachusetts father, cut my baby's umbilical cord in a Dunkin Donuts parking lot," father Danya Mahota told the Cape Cod Times.

Traffic in Cape Cod.

August 19, 2024

1 minute to read

Normally, Cape Cod summer traffic is considered mundane. But for Rebecca and Danya Mahota, the traffic on Route 6 was anything but boring.

The Brewster couple was heading to the hospital on Aug 8, driving on Route 6, when a very pregnant Rebecca’s water broke, the parents told the Cape Cod Times. The Mahotas were 26 minutes into what was supposed to be a 56 minute drive when Danya pulled over so Rebecca could deliver the baby, they told WCVB.

“I’m driving obviously, I reach down between my wife’s legs, and, sure enough, I feel the top of my daughter’s head,” Danya said to the Times.

Danya, who told the Times he does not have any medical experience, delivered their baby in the passenger seat. The baby is a girl, named Summer.

“That was probably the most nerve wracking, was making sure, okay, we’re breathing, we’re all here, we’re good,” Rebecca told the Times. “And we kind of look at each other, we’re like, that just happened.”

A very Dunkin’ delivery

The new parents, plus Summer, couldn’t wait for the ambulance on the shoulder of Route 6. So where did they go to wait for first responders? A Dunkin’ parking lot, of course. Workers rushed outside to help the couple, Danya told the Times.

“They handed me a sterilized X-Acto knife, and I, like every Massachusetts father, cut my baby’s umbilical cord in a Dunkin Donuts parking lot,” he said.

In all the commotion, Danya said he lost his wedding ring while delivering Summer. He told WCVB that he found the ring by the side of the highway where Rebecca gave birth to Summer.

“Just as we were about to leave, I looked down, and by the grace of God, I found it right between my toes. I was scraping some grass away, and I just couldn’t believe it,” he told WCVB.

Both Rebecca and 11-day-old Summer are healthy and doing great, the couple told the Times.