A father-to-be has told how he ended up delivering his baby on the side of a highway and used a shoe lace to tie off the umbilical cord after his wife went into labor five days early . Mark Stonis , 35 , from Virginia Beach , Virginia , was forced to pull over during rush hour traffic on Monday morning en route to Sentara Obici Hospital in Suffolk . He called 911 and spoke to an emergency dispatcher , who helped guide him through the birth of his son on a grassy verge . Mr Stonis told WAVY-TV that he was 'in denial ' that the whole thing was happening and at one point put his hand over his 35-year-old wife , Stephanie , 'almost trying to hold the baby in ' . Scroll down for video . Happy family : Mark Stonis , 35 , from Virginia Beach , Virginia , was forced to pull over during rush hour traffic on Monday morning en route to Sentara Obici Hospital in Suffolk to deliver his son . He continued : ' I really did not want to pull over . I did not want her to have that baby on the road in the car , on the side of the road . ' I wanted to be in the comfort of a hospital , the professionals dealing with what they do best . ' Mrs Stonis , who also has two young daughters , said she started feeling contractions just before 6am on Monday . As her second daughter , Kaleigh , came two weeks early , the expectant mother did n't want to take any risks . Bouncing baby : Considering his early arrival , the newborn weighed a healthy 6lbs 11oz . Improvisation : Mr Stonis used a shoe lace to tie off the umbilical cord - he joked that he never got it back so now he has a shoe that does n't tie . Top tale : The father-of-three says he ca n't wait to tell his son about the life-changing event when he 's older . The Stonis ' had started the 30 minute drive to hospital when Mrs Stonis suddenly felt her waters brake . Recalling the chain of events , she said : ' I was telling my husband that he needed to pull over because I needed to push . ' Paul Mark Anthony Stonis was born on the interstate before first responders managed to get to the scene . Considering his early arrival , the newborn weighed a healthy 6lbs 11oz , . New addition : The Stonis family ( pictured above ) are now five after the rush hour delivery . Mr Stonis says he ca n't wait to tell his son about the life-changing event when he ’ s older . 'When I was born , I was in the newspapers as well because I was the first one in this particular hospital up in Maine , ' Mark said . 'So , I was in the newspaper and he ’ s now going to be in the newspaper , so that ’ s pretty exciting , like father , like son . ' The stand-in medic joked that he never got his shoelace back so now he has a shoe that does n't tie .
Mark Stonis , 35 , from Virginia Beach , Virginia , was forced to pull over during rush hour traffic on Monday morning en route to hospital . He called one and spoke to an emergency dispatcher , who helped guide him through the birth of his son on a grassy verge . Paul Mark Anthony Stonis was born without complication and is doing well .