And the meter was running

Some news from Illinois. Open Post- Jo's Cafe and Basil's Blog

LISLE, Ill. - Nedal Haddad of Chicago understood his new job as a cab driver entailed delivery — taking passengers from one point to another, that is. He couldn't have imagined it involved delivering babies.

That's what happened Friday, about a week into his new job, when the 37-year-old picked up a pregnant woman in suburban Plainfield and began driving her to nearby Edward Hospital.

Before they could arrive at the Naperville hospital, the woman — whose mother and sister were also in the cab — began giving birth.

"She said, 'I think I'm going to have the baby,'" he later recalled her saying. "I said, 'You better not.'"

Haddad, who immediately pulled onto the shoulder of Interstate 88 near Lisle, said the woman's relatives started screaming and were too panicked to offer assistance. So he ordered them out of the car, rushed to the back seat and delivered the baby himself.

A father of three children, Haddad said he had never been in the delivery room with his wife. All he knew about childbirth came from watching a show on the Discovery Channel, said Haddad, who came to the United States 19 years ago from Jordan.

After the delivery, paramedics arrived, cut the umbilical cord and took the newborn girl to Edward Hospital. She weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces and "is doing fine," Dr. Peter Weeks said.

The mother, who asked not to be identified, said the girl has been named Gabrielle.

"She is a beautiful baby girl," she said. "As you can imagine, it has been quite an amazing day."

Haddad not only helped deliver the girl, he also offered another gift of sorts. He waived the $60 cab fare.