Maine Teacher Gives Birth in School Parking Lot as Her Firefighter Father Arrives at Scene: 'A True Miracle'

Tori Hildreth is being commended for her "composure, toughness and focus" after welcoming her newborn baby daughter Bella at her workplace

A Maine high school teacher came into school for a "normal workday" this week, before leaving with a newborn baby daughter and a mini family reunion during what her workplace is now calling "an imperfectly perfect moment."

Tori Hildreth, a Jobs for Maine Graduates instructor at Old Town High School, was "full-term" when she entered work on Tuesday, Oct. 8. She expected her baby girl to "hold off another day," according to a Facebook post from Old Town High, but that wasn't the case.

That afternoon, by 2:18 p.m. local time, Hildreth was in the school's parking lot holding her newborn baby, Bella Reese Dieuveuil, according to the Bangor Daily News.

Per Old Town High School, Hildreth "started experiencing contractions" during the school day — which prompted school nurse Jana Caron and school resource officer Willy King to respond to the scene. Eventually, Hildreth's firefighter father responded too.

"As Tori was being moved into her mother's car for transport home, Bella made the decision to leap into Nurse Jana's waiting arms," the school wrote of the newborn's arrival. "EMS had been called earlier and upon arrival, Tori's father, Mike Hildreth was driving the firetruck. The whole scene was an imperfectly perfect moment."

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CBS affiliate WABI reported that the instructor gave birth in the teacher's parking lot. She called her mother at 2:07 p.m. and had the baby in her arms by 2:18 p.m., she told the outlet, adding that she "went from teaching a class to having a baby in about 15 minutes."

Even students encouraged Hildreth to go home during the school day, the Bangor Daily News reported. “They said, ‘You should go home and rest. You’re going to have a baby soon.’” Hildreth recalled. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna have her tomorrow.’ ”

“The plan was to go to the hospital, but I stopped in the car and I said, ‘Hold on, I just need to make it through this one contraction before I can actually sit down,” Hildreth added. “And that contraction was the one that pushed her out into the world.”

Mark Dieuveuil, baby Bella's father, met Hildreth and their newborn daughter at a local hospital. Hildreth's older daughter Dianne was also happy to become a big sister, according to the Bangor Daily News.

“Her composure, toughness, and focus are remarkable. She’s one tough lady,” the school nurse told WABI, adding that students were "popping their heads in my office" after the fact. “Whenever she gets stabilized, she walked over to the stretcher and she lays herself down and she’s like, 'See you in three months!' " she continued.

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As for Hildreth's father, Captain Mike Hildreth, who arrived on the scene in an Old Town Fire Department firetruck, he "showed up and started crying," his daughter told WABI.

"My mom and I were both in shock,” she said. “He’s the first one to respond to a maternity call that it was his daughter and that is probably true. That’s some small-town stuff right there, I would say.”

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Old Town High School's Facebook announcement said that Bella's birth apparently marked the first in the school's history. Per WABI, Bella was born two weeks early, weighing six pounds and 4 ounces and measuring 19 inches long.

“I am thankful that my daughters are growing up in a community where people give that love and support,” Hildreth said.

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