A Grunthal man delivered his wife’s baby along the side of Highway 12 Tuesday Night.

“We didn’t make it to the hospital in time,” recalls Nathan Penner, “so the paramedics had to meet us halfway.”

As soon as he realized his wife was going into labour, Penner says he pulled his vehicle off of the roadway and called 911 to ask for guidance.

“It was quite the experience,” he laughs. “For some reason, I had this calm feeling. 'You know what,' I told myself, 'we are going to have to get through this because really nobody else is going to deliver this thing for me'.”

Having no personal medical experience to fall back on, Penner relied on memories of his family’s cattle farm to keep him grounded.

“That was a bonus,” he says. “I grew up on a farm my whole life so we’ve had cattle and I’ve delivered calves before… it’s not the same thing, but it’s the same concept though.”

The proud second-time father says his little son, Carter John Penner, was born healthy and without incident. The paramedics arrived on scene shortly afterward to ensure there were no complications. While the ambulance did not make it in time for the birth itself, Penner commends the team for their quick response time.

“I’m sure my wife would have preferred it if the paramedics could have done the whole thing, cause I certainly don’t have the same kind of experience under my belt that they do," he concedes, "but when they showed up they really took care of us. It was fantastic; an outstanding job by paramedics!”

Where most babies will have the name of a hospital written in the margins beside the Place of Birth column on their birth certificate, young Carter will have the phrase "RM of Hanover".