Irvine family’s new baby makes her debut in the I-405 carpool lane

When Nagaraj Badavide cut his daughter’s umbilical cord, he had to keep an eye on the traffic streaming by next to him.

His wife, Anuradha Suratkal, had just delivered their third child, but this one was born in the middle of the 405 Freeway in Seal Beach.

“Dad was literally standing on the side of the freeway in the carpool lane,” said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi.

The Irvine couple and their 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son were headed back from the Los Angeles area around 4:30 p.m. Sunday when Suratkal started having frequent contractions.

Their baby girl wasn’t due until Aug. 20, but Suratkal’s water broke as they were traveling south on the 405 about a mile north of the 22 Freeway. The family pulled to the center divider.

They had already called 911, and while they waited for help, Fire Authority dispatcher Grace Romero guided them through what to do.

“When our firefighter-paramedics arrived on scene, the baby’s head had just come out,” Concialdi said.

Sitting in the back of the family’s SUV with her legs facing traffic, Suratkal finished giving birth without problems, Concialdi said.

Paramedics took the family to Los Alamitos Medical Center, and the California Highway Patrol canceled a traffic alert for the southbound carpool lane, which had been closed for about a half-hour.

Badavide and Suratkal’s newest daughter doesn’t have a name yet, but at 21.5 inches and just over 7 pounds, she’s healthy and happy.

“The baby’s doing great,” Concialdi said. “It just shows you, especially if you’ve already had a couple of children, how quick the baby can come.”