By Anna W.
Recently, my five-month-old Sunny and I were driving my mother-in-law to the airport when a tire on my car suddenly exploded!
When the tire gave out, we were on a busy highway at one of its trickiest spots, right at the point where it intersects with another busy highway. I managed to pull over to the shoulder, but I did not feel safe where we parked: there was an entrance ramp right behind us and two large exits right in front of us. And the daily rush hour was fast approaching.
My partner was way across town, finishing up running an important rehearsal that could not be rescheduled. The spare tire was in his car. It would take him at least an hour to get there. A tow truck would take even longer. I called the police and asked them to set up some safety cones behind us, but I didn’t know if they would arrive quickly either.
With my baby in the car, I didn’t feel comfortable staying on the side of the highway as rush hour was coming soon. Plus, my mother-in-law’s plane was scheduled to leave very soon. I had a stroller with me, but it was summer in Texas, so it was already in the upper 90s °F and climbing. There weren’t any public spaces within walking distance. Baby Sunny had learned to be content in the car but did not like it when we would stop for long periods. She started crying, and I knew it wasn’t safe to take her out to feed her or comfort her while we were on the side of the highway. I felt scared, but I stayed calm.
As a private music teacher, I travel to some of my students’ homes. I realized that a former client of mine lived super close to the place where we were stranded. At our last lesson, which was over a year ago, she had told me to text her if I was ever in the neighborhood. “Well,” I thought, “I am in the neighborhood.” So I texted her and told her about our predicament. She happened to be home and available to help. I asked her to come get us and sent her a screenshot of a nearby intersection.
The access road to the highway wasn’t busy yet. I crawled out the passenger side door, pulled out Baby Sunny in her car seat, grabbed the diaper bag, and had my mother-in-law climb out over the car seat base to exit from the right side as well. We walked across the grassy highway divider and the multi-lane access road and waited at a much safer intersection.
A police officer who happened to be driving by saw us and stopped. He offered to help, and I had him escort me back across the access road to get the car seat base (which took a minute because I had previously delegated all knowledge of car seat installation to my husband).
When the officer and I got back with the car seat base, my former client had arrived. Her youngest child is twelve, but she dug back in the depths of her memory and installed Sunny’s car seat for me. When we were all safely in her air-conditioned car, she asked what we needed next. I asked if we could go to her place so I could book my mother-in-law a car service to the airport. My rescuer offered to drive us to the airport herself! We got my mother-in-law to the plane on time, then headed to my former client’s house, where I breastfed Sunny. Sunny then got to play with my former students.
My husband finished his rehearsal, drove to my car, replaced the tire, and met us at my former client’s house. We got Sunny loaded up safely, then I drove us back to my car and dropped him off. By this time, the traffic was awful. After all the drama, we decided to just meet at a nearby restaurant for dinner and wait it out. What had started out as a chaotic experience ended with a very calm meal. Sunny tried black beans for the first time and definitely approved!
During this entire saga, because I am breastfeeding, I had zero stress about feeding the baby! My mother-in-law was impressed with how calm I stayed in a crisis. My former client remarked on how calm Baby Sunny was throughout the ordeal. She also commented on how little “stuff” I had with me–another perk of breastfeeding. I felt very empowered knowing my body is all I need to care for my child in an emergency. Breastfeeding is so cool!
Supporting Breastfeeding Families–Today, Tomorrow, Always
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Last Updated: July 7, 2026 by Yael Breimer
Breastfeeding Calm Amidst Car Troubles
By Anna W.
Recently, my five-month-old Sunny and I were driving my mother-in-law to the airport when a tire on my car suddenly exploded!
My partner was way across town, finishing up running an important rehearsal that could not be rescheduled. The spare tire was in his car. It would take him at least an hour to get there. A tow truck would take even longer. I called the police and asked them to set up some safety cones behind us, but I didn’t know if they would arrive quickly either.
With my baby in the car, I didn’t feel comfortable staying on the side of the highway as rush hour was coming soon. Plus, my mother-in-law’s plane was scheduled to leave very soon. I had a stroller with me, but it was summer in Texas, so it was already in the upper 90s °F and climbing. There weren’t any public spaces within walking distance. Baby Sunny had learned to be content in the car but did not like it when we would stop for long periods. She started crying, and I knew it wasn’t safe to take her out to feed her or comfort her while we were on the side of the highway. I felt scared, but I stayed calm.
As a private music teacher, I travel to some of my students’ homes. I realized that a former client of mine lived super close to the place where we were stranded. At our last lesson, which was over a year ago, she had told me to text her if I was ever in the neighborhood. “Well,” I thought, “I am in the neighborhood.” So I texted her and told her about our predicament. She happened to be home and available to help. I asked her to come get us and sent her a screenshot of a nearby intersection.
The access road to the highway wasn’t busy yet. I crawled out the passenger side door, pulled out Baby Sunny in her car seat, grabbed the diaper bag, and had my mother-in-law climb out over the car seat base to exit from the right side as well. We walked across the grassy highway divider and the multi-lane access road and waited at a much safer intersection.
A police officer who happened to be driving by saw us and stopped. He offered to help, and I had him escort me back across the access road to get the car seat base (which took a minute because I had previously delegated all knowledge of car seat installation to my husband).
When the officer and I got back with the car seat base, my former client had arrived. Her youngest child is twelve, but she dug back in the depths of her memory and installed Sunny’s car seat for me. When we were all safely in her air-conditioned car, she asked what we needed next. I asked if we could go to her place so I could book my mother-in-law a car service to the airport. My rescuer offered to drive us to the airport herself! We got my mother-in-law to the plane on time, then headed to my former client’s house, where I breastfed Sunny. Sunny then got to play with my former students.
My husband finished his rehearsal, drove to my car, replaced the tire, and met us at my former client’s house. We got Sunny loaded up safely, then I drove us back to my car and dropped him off. By this time, the traffic was awful. After all the drama, we decided to just meet at a nearby restaurant for dinner and wait it out. What had started out as a chaotic experience ended with a very calm meal. Sunny tried black beans for the first time and definitely approved!
During this entire saga, because I am breastfeeding, I had zero stress about feeding the baby! My mother-in-law was impressed with how calm I stayed in a crisis. My former client remarked on how calm Baby Sunny was throughout the ordeal. She also commented on how little “stuff” I had with me–another perk of breastfeeding. I felt very empowered knowing my body is all I need to care for my child in an emergency. Breastfeeding is so cool!
Supporting Breastfeeding Families–Today, Tomorrow, Always
Please consider donating to La Leche League USA.
Your gift helps support this blog and the website!
Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted. Thank you!
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Category: Breastfeeding and Lifestyle, Making It Work
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