Teen mom runs to hospital after birth

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LONG BEACH, Calif., May 4 (UPI) -- A teenage mother and her newborn baby were recovering in California Sunday after rushing on foot to a hospital with the child's umbilical cord still attached.

Long Beach, Calif., high school student Xochitl Parra, 17, was at home alone early Friday when she unexpectedly starting delivering her baby, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram. She had no idea what to do, and so once the 8-pound, 3-ounce boy was born, she wrapped him, dressed and headed out the door.

Parra told the newspaper her phone had been disconnected, so there was no way to call for emergency help. With the umbilical cord still attached, she walked and jogged four blocks to St. Mary Medical Center and entered the emergency room.

Jose Perez, director of St. Mary's neonatal intensive care unit, said Parra and her baby "looked good" when they arrived at the hospital, noting that she still had the placenta. He credited the teen's quick response to the emergency situation with possibly saving both her own and her baby's lives.