A baby was born inside a car at the Loulé service area on the A22 in the Algarve. The parents were heading to the Algarve Private Hospital in Faro since the Gynecology and Obstetrics department at the Portimão Hospital was not operational.
The pregnant woman went into labor during the journey, prompting her husband, who was driving, to stop at the service station so the child could be born, reports CNN.
An off-duty firefighter was also passing by and ended up assisting the mother and daughter. Upon reaching the vehicle, little Luísa had already been born.
“When I arrived, the baby was already in the mother’s arms; I just provided the initial care and alerted the emergency services,” said Álvaro Marques, the firefighter involved, to the television station.
Social media shared images of the moment Álvaro arrived and assisted both. In the video, the firefighter, who is also the president of the Silves motorcycle club, assures that the baby “is responding” and at one point describes the baby as smiling.
Off camera, an unidentified woman jokingly says that the baby was “blessed by the rain.” The video also captures the moment when emergency services are notified of the situation. They ask if the child is responding, to which Álvaro replies, laughing, “She just yawned now.”
“The mother is in some pain but says she’s well,” the unidentified woman informs the emergency services, adding that this is the mother’s second child and that she had developed gestational diabetes.
You can see these images in the post below (both the mother’s and child’s faces were covered to protect their identities).
Mother and daughter were later taken by emergency services to the Faro Local Health Unit, where they are in good health. The baby was born weighing over three kilograms.
This is not an isolated case.
In recent weeks, several cases have emerged of pregnant women giving birth at home, in ambulances, in cars, and even in rideshare vehicles.
The latest known incident happened on Wednesday, November 12. According to the driver present when the pregnant woman gave birth, she had been discharged from Hospital São Francisco Xavier half an hour before the child was born.
According to the Lisbon Western Local Health Unit, the “care followed the established protocol.” The pregnant woman had been discharged as “she was not in labor and lived nearby,” in Damaia. She had been instructed to return to the hospital if “alarm signs” appeared.
Tomásia Sousa and Natacha Nunes Costa | 16:45 – 12/11/2025
Prior to this, another incident occurred where a woman reportedly already in labor was discharged from Hospital de Santo André in Leiria, and sent home, more than 100 kilometers away.
Once home, the woman called the Almeirim Firefighters, who were directed to take her to the Hospital das Caldas da Rainha. Upon arrival, the gynecology emergencies were closed.
A 39-week pregnant woman with contractions was reportedly sent home, more than 100 kilometers away, after being examined at the Leiria hospital. She was first taken to the Hospital das Caldas da Rainha, which was closed. The woman refused to leave the hospital, and the baby was born the following morning.
Natacha Nunes Costa | 14:18 – 11/11/2025
