The couples home was in the direct path of Hurricane Milton as the mother went into labor shortly before Milton began wreaking havoc on the region
As Hurricane Milton barreled down on Florida on Wednesday, one couple had a difficult choice to make ahead of the deadly storm.
At around 4 a.m. EST Kenzie Lewellen, who was 39 weeks pregnant began to go into labor. Lewellens home in Charlotte Port was right in the path of the impending storm. Lewellen and her boyfriend Dewey Bennett, 24, began to grow concerned that they may have no way of getting to the hospital in the midst of the storm.
My mind was just running a million miles an hour, like, what am I going to do? Lewellen, 22, told NBC News.
Hurricane Milton sparks police vigilance against looters while residents flee as Category 5 storm nears
Hurricane Milton kills at least 13 as storm leaves devastating trail of destruction across Florida
Milton made landfall around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday bringing with it massive flooding and leaving millions without electricity.
The childs father, Bennett, said in an interview on Thursday I was very stressed.
This was particularly stressful for Bennett as back in 2017 his father, also named Dewey, lost his life during Hurricane Irma.
My dad had a massive heart attack because the ambulance could not come out to us during the storm, he said.
Faced with another massive storm and another medical emergency Bennett said he couldnt help but remember what fate his father suffered because of extreme weather.
Milton made landfall around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday bringing with it massive flooding and leaving millions without electricity.
Before Milton even made landfall the couples home was already taking on water. At that point Lewellen contractions had not yet begun but the couple knew that if didnt start having contractions until during the storm the roads would have been flooded and we were going to have a tough time getting to the hospital, Bennett said.
I just didnt want to go through what I had to go through with the last hurricane back in 2017, he said.
Lewellen sad that they had considered evacuating to the east coast of the state near West Palm Beach but added Im kind of glad we didnt, because they ended up getting, I think, nine tornadoes before the storm had even made landfall,
Hurricane Milton RECAP: Devastating aftermath across Florida – as 13 dead and THREE MILLION without power
‘I drove a 54-hour roundtrip to rescue my grandma from Hurricane Milton’
Milton made landfall around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday bringing with it massive flooding and leaving millions without electricity.
The day before, we were both calling the hospital and seeing if there was any way we can just check in, she said. But obviously during a storm, they dont just let people come stay here, because theyre not a shelter, she said.
After about 4 hours of labor at their home they decided it was time to attempt to reach the local hospital. As the storm intensified they began the journey to Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Venice.
My mom was driving us, and it was extremely windy, so we were trying to be as cautious as possible, Lewellen said. There was not really many people on the roads, because it was so windy outside and it was raining quite a bit.
Arriving at the hospital the couple learned that only one person could go inside with Lewellen inside the emergency room, so she unfortunately had to part ways with her mother.
I was very, very upset that my mom couldnt stay, because she is my best friend and one of my biggest supporters, she said. But we were able to FaceTime pretty much the entire time, Lewellen said.
Lewellen went through labor as the storm raged outside her window with her boyfriend by her side the entire time.
I was telling him, Im like, Oh, that tree looks like its going to fly out of the ground! when I was laboring, because we were just watching the storm and the wind and the rain go crazy. It was definitely intense out there last night. she saidShe was given some disheartening news after being in labor for hours as doctors informed her that the baby was in the wrong position and a cesarean section would have to be performed.
She was in extreme pain for hours due to a problem with the epidural she was given until she was administered anesthesia for the procedure.
I was just on my own, by myself, and I was very scared. If I didnt have the doctors and the nurses that I had, it would have been a whole lot worse, she told NBC News.
At around 11:45 p.m. EST their son Dewey Lester Bennett was born, a healthy 8 pounds.
In addition to Lewellens and Bennetts son six other babies were born at two Sarasota Memorial Hospitals during Milton, according to David Verinder, CEO of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System.
Lewellen said that some people after learning of her ordeal joked that their baby should be nicknamed Milton.