Hero stranded mother gives birth in forest before escaping bee attack AND fire

A mother has made headlines after getting stranded in a forest, giving birth, fighting off carnivorous bees AND escaping a forest fire

Hero stranded mother gives birth before escaping bee attack and forest fire

by Kayleigh Dray |
Published on

Yes, really.

According to the KRCA News, Amber Pangborn - who was nine months pregnant at the time - decided to visit her parents.

To save time, the 35-year-old cut through the back roads of California’s Plumas National Forest… but was left stranded when she a) got lost, and b) ran out of petrol.

Phone signal gone completely, Amber assumed she’d have to wait for someone to come and find her - only for her waters to break.

Realising she was going into labour, Amber told Action News that she "laid out a sleeping [bag] in the back seat, lied down, gripped the handle above the back window, and gave birth to my daughter."

Via KRCA News

With her newborn baby in her arms, Amber chose not to cut the umbilical cord, in a bid to ensure her little girl kept getting the nutrients she needed.

For the next day and night, the exhausted mother survived on a small bottle of soda, a small bottle of water and three apples she said she had in her car.

But her placenta had attracted the attention of the local wildlife, putting both Amber and baby Marissa’s lives in danger.

She explained: "The meat bees came out and were trying to get the placenta.

"I was trying to protect (my daughter) from getting stung and I got stung trying to keep them away from the baby but they kept going back to the placenta."

Via KRCA News

In a desperate attempt to attract attention from forest rangers, Amber started a signal fire with a lighter and a can of hairspray.

She said: "The first just went ‘woosh,' and shot up the mountainside.

"I was looking at Marissa and I told her ‘honey, I think mommy just started a forest fire."

Thankfully, she was able to escape the flames - and, three days after she was originally stranded, Amber and her daughter were rescued by the US Forest Service.

Amber’s father praised the new mother’s bravery, emotionally telling Action News: “I truly believe I witnessed a modern-day miracle.

“I know babies are born every day and to hear such a heroic story, being all by herself for three days, it was almost unbelievable."

Via KRCA News

Amber Pangborn, you are a total lioness. Roll on the movie adaptation already.

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