Remsenburg mom delivers baby on way to Southampton Hospital

A Remsenburg woman gave birth Saturday morning in the passenger seat of a Range Rover as her husband sped toward Southampton Hospital with a surprised police officer leading the way.

Kate Church, 38, began having contractions about 6 a.m. — nine days before her due date — and casually packed her bag as she told her husband, Evan Church, that it seemed as if the baby was on its way.

“She went upstairs, but with no urgency,” said Evan, also 38, a real estate broker in New York City.

The couple loaded up the sport utility vehicle, and Evan laid towels on the seats, “just in case,” he said.

As he drove, Kate’s contractions became more frequent.

“I was trying to hold the contractions in,” said Kate, a real estate agent studying interior design. “Then I just felt this relief of not holding it in anymore. . . . I started screaming and I was thinking in my head, ‘This is the sound of somebody giving birth.’ ”

Kate said she felt her newborn son, named Phoenix Benjamin Church, being born about halfway through the 30-minute drive.

“I took my sweatpants off and he was just there,” she said. “It was totally the easiest way to do it.”

On Montauk Highway, Evan wove in and out of traffic, honking his horn, trying to race to the hospital. That’s when a police officer put on his lights and siren, and pulled them over.

Southampton Town Police Sgt. Michael Joyce said the officer, whom he declined to name, stopped the Range Rover near Lewis Road in East Quogue.

“My husband yelled to him from the car that I just had the baby,” Kate said.

No speeding ticket was issued. Calling it a “very unusual” situation, Joyce said the officer saw the baby wasn’t in distress, so he escorted the family to the hospital.

Said Kate: “The baby didn’t cry or anything. He just hung out in the car with us.”

The couple has two other sons, 7 and 4.

“She’s a pro,” Evan said of his wife. “Everything is awesome. Everyone is safe and sound.”