Ian: Pregnant Florida woman drives through hurricane to give birth

MELBOURNE, Fla. — She is beautiful and glorious, and her mother braved difficult odds.

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A pregnant Florida woman braved strong winds and possible flooding to deliver her baby girl after she went into labor while Hurricane Ian moved menacingly close to her area.

Hanna-Kay Williams, 22, of Melbourne, gave birth to Wajiha at 10:11 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, WFTV reported. The infant weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces and was delivered after Williams endured 20 hours of labor.

This was no ordinary labor. While doctors were performing an emergency C-section on Williams at Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Ian was lashing Central Florida and the Space Coast with heavy rain and winds of more than 40 mph, ABC News reported.

Williams was not fully dilated and there were signs of fetal distress.

The area was already experiencing poor weather when Williams, her fiancé and her mother decided to go to the hospital at 2 a.m. Tuesday.

“I don’t even remember driving through the storms because I was in my own mental hurricane,” Williams told WFTV.

It was a treacherous ride, with gusty winds and rain pelting the area.

“I was going in and out because the car was swaying in the wind and the rain was intense, but my fiancé is a great driver so I was in great hands,” Williams told ABC News.

Wajiha means “beautiful and glorious woman,” Williams said.

“I’m going to give all the credit to my fiancé,” Williams told ABC News. “We were on a journey in finding the most unique name. He picked it. Today, when we look at her and call her name, it’s a perfect match.”

Wajiha is doing fine. So is mom.

“We came out on top, we definitely did,” Williams said, according to WFTV. “I felt when she first arrived and they sat her on my lap, the first thing I said was, ‘That’s a big baby,’ and then I looked at her and thought, ‘That’s my twin,’ even though I already have a fraternal twin.”

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Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida MATLACHA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: Whitney Hall (R) embraces a friend atop the remains of his home amidst wreckage left in the wake of Hurricane Ian on the island of Matlacha on September 30, 2022 in Matlacha, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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