Most New Jerseyans know Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill is a former Navy pilot who had a nine-year military career before entering politics.
But most voters likely hadn’t heard the harrowing story of the birth of her second child until the governor-elect appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Monday night.
Sherrill, a Democrat replacing Gov. Phil Murphy in January, told Colbert about how she gave birth to her son in a New York City taxi cab years ago while she tried to recall the chapter from a parenting advice book about giving birth without a doctor.
Sherrill told the story during the second portion of her Colbert appearance after first talking politics and taking swipes at President Donald Trump’s administration over strikes against suspected drug-smuggling boats.
Colbert encouraged Sherrill to tell her “badass” birth story.
“You’re a Navy pilot — that’s kind of a badass thing to have done,” Colbert said. “You always wanted to be a pilot when you were younger, but I understand you did something even more badass not far from this theater, over on the East Side here.”
The governor-elect said her second child was born on the side of the road in New York City during a cab ride through Central Park to Mount Sinai Medical Center. Sherrill said she was aided by a bystander when her husband, Jason Hedberg, jumped out of the cab and ran for help.
“A lady, who was at the bus stop, it turns out, she worked at the hospital and said, ‘Can I help?’” Sherrill said.
Sherrill said she had recently read the chapter of the parenting advice book “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” on what to do in case a woman is not near any medical help when she goes into labor.
“There’s a chapter called, ‘How to Deliver Your Own Baby,’ which I had made a lot of fun of,” Sherrill said.
On the day their son was born, Hedberg came home as Sherrill’s contractions started intensifying gradually, she said. At 45 seconds apart, their doctor instructed the couple to head for the hospital. Once inside the cab, the situation grew more dire.
“We get halfway across the park, and my water breaks,” Sherrill said. “I’m like, ‘I’m having this baby in the cab.’ And Jason, my husband, goes, ‘Don’t push.’ For anyone that’s had a baby, that’s not really an option.”
In a tense ride through quick-changing traffic lights, the cab driver eventually pulled over near the hospital, and Hedberg left to go find help, Sherrill said.
“Luckily, I read the chapter, so I know exactly what I’m doing here,” Sherrill joked.
In between Hedberg leaving and returning, Sherrill delivered the couple’s second child. Her husband offered a less-than-ideal response to his wife safely bringing their son into the world, she said.
“He looks down at me again and goes, ‘I thought I told you not to push,’” Sherrill said.
The couple, who now have four children, now live in Montclair.
Sherrill handily won in November’s election, defeating Republican Jack Ciattarelli by a 14-point margin. She will become the second woman to serve as New Jersey’s governor when she enters office in January.