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Blizzard Baby: Pregnant Buffalonian has contractions during Xmas blizzard, receives help via Facebook

JASMINE NEWTON
Posted at 6:25 PM, Dec 28, 2022
and last updated 2022-12-28 18:33:08-05

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Jasmine Newton was scheduled to have a C-section on January 4.

However, those plans changed after she began having contractions, during the Christmas blizzard.

Another problem on her horizon: getting to the hospital.

It is 9:30 p.m. on Christmas Day.

Buffalo mother-to-be Jasmine Newton is preparing for a quick walk to the corner store on Bailey Avenue, hours after the worst of the blizzard has subsided.

"I also saw broken glass and people wandering the streets. I didn't realize exactly what was going on, but I realize I was watching people looting our neighborhoods, so it was kind of terrifying," Newton said.

Terrified, she quickly turned around and began walking home, which went from a normal 8-minute walk to almost an hour due to thigh-deep snow.

She suddenly began having contractions.

"I called 911 and they told me that they were backed up and they told me that there was nothing I could do. That's when I started panicking," she added.

At this point, it is 10:30 p.m. and the Buffalo mother is frantically trying to problem solve while her baby girl is forcing her way into the world a week ahead of schedule.

A group chat with friends leads to a Facebook post in the buffalo blizzard response group by one of her friends.

"I joined the page and started seeing posts about me needing, a woman who's pregnant. They were trying to get people to me. It was a lot of people sharing it," she said.

At this point it is now almost 2 a.m., the day after Christmas, and Newton feels like she is running out of time.

"My mom ended up telling me that my older brother was on his way. He rescued me and brought me here to Sister's Hospital," she explained.

Baby Aurora was born at 8:59 a.m., all thanks to a Facebook group, filled with good neighbors.

"It was incredible to see all of the responses that I got. People had really good advice. People were trying to come from Lancaster and Depew," the new mother explained.

Now, it is merely a Christmas Newton will never forget, and neither will she probably ever let Baby Aurora live down.

"I lost a lot of faith in humanity, even right before even seeing that page. Once I got to that page and had people reaching out to me, my faith was definitely restored," Newton added.