Nurses Call This Newborn the 'Tesla Baby' After Mom Gave Birth While the Car Was in Autopilot

Keating Sherry Baby Maeve Lily

A Pennsylvania baby made quite a memorable entrance into the world when she arrived in the front seat of her parents' Tesla while the car was on autopilot.

Yiran and Keating Sherry tell PEOPLE they are excited for some downtime with their two kids — son Rafa, 3, and his 3-month-old sister, Maeve Lily — after the dramatic ordeal in September.

"We look forward to enjoying the holidays and spending quality time with the family," Keating says. "We're going for a drive to look at Christmas lights… hopefully without any emergencies!"

Back on Sept. 9, before Maeve made her wild entrance, Yiran started having contractions in the middle of the night, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"I knew," Yiran recalled to the outlet, which first reported the story. "I said to Keating, 'Today's the day, but I don't think it's happening anytime soon.'"

By 8:30 a.m., as Yiran was doing laundry and getting Rafa for preschool, things started to progress so Keating said he felt it was time to take his wife to the hospital.

"I put [Rafa] in the backseat and went to check on Yiran," Keating recalled to the Inquirer. "Her water had broken a few seconds prior. She said, 'Take Rafa to school, then come back and get me.' But I thought: Time is of the essence."

courtesy Keating Sherry Yiran and Keating Sherry with their kids Rafa and Maeve inside the Tesla

RELATED: Calif. Woman Gives Birth on Her Front Lawn — and the Moment Is Captured on Their Ring Camera!

Though Yiran could barely walk due to the pain from her contractions, Keating helped her get into the car. His wife then crouched on the floor in front of the passenger seat, as he frantically drove towards the hospital in rush-hour traffic, according to the Inquirer.

"She was squeezing my hand to the point where I thought she was going to shatter it," Keating recalled to the outlet. "I was [saying to] Yiran, 'OK, focus on your breathing.' That was advice to myself, as well. My adrenaline was pumping."

Since they were driving a Tesla, Keating decided to put the car on autopilot, which allowed him to focus more on his wife, while still keeping his hand gently on the wheel, the outlet reported.

Recalling the dramatic moment, Keating tells PEOPLE that he had an endless stream of thoughts running through his mind.

"It was empty and zen... for a microsecond!" he says. "Followed by 'Don't screw this up! Did Yiran just shatter my right hand? Blinkers or autopilot? Let's do both. Thank you genius Tesla engineers for your brilliant design of autopilot! Are we still 16 minutes out? It feels like we've been stuck on 16 minutes for hours!"

courtesy Keating Sherry Yiran and Keating Sherry

RELATED: Texas Mom Gives Birth to Baby in Gas Station Bathroom: 'I Couldn't Believe It'

Meanwhile, Yiran, whose contractions were just one minute apart, only remembers thinking one thing: "Should I push or should I hold? Should I push or should I hold? F— it, let's do this!"

Though the ride from their home in Wayne to Paoli Hospital only took 20 minutes, their daughter could not wait any longer. As the couple pulled up to the hospital, Yiran announced, "Oh, my God, Keating. She's out," according to the Inquirer.

Nurses were quick to rush to the scene, where they cut Yiran's umbilical cord in the front seat.

"Once the pediatrician said, 'She's healthy. Congratulations,' that was quite the sigh of relief," Keating recalled to the Inquirer.

RELATED VIDEO: California Woman Gives Birth on Side of the Road After Husband Crashes Car

The couple ended up naming their daughter Maeve after a character in the novel, The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett, which they both read during quarantine, according to the outlet.

Her middle name, Lily, was in honor of Yiran's mother — though they did joke to the Inquirer about changing it to Tess, as a nod to the vehicle she made her debut inside.

"I wouldn't be too surprised if, in the year 2037, Maeve is getting her permit with that Tesla," Keating jokingly added to the outlet.

RELATED: Mother of 5 Gives Birth in Moving Car as Her Kids Look On: 'I Was in So Much Pain'

Now at home with their healthy baby girl, Keating tells PEOPLE that his wife and daughter are thriving.

"Baby Maeve and Yiran are doing fantastic!" he says. "Maeve just graduated from her 4th trimester and is loving morning kisses from her big brother, snuggle sessions with Mom, and long walks strapped to Dad's chest."

"Yiran is already back to work finding jobs for software engineers and uncovering the best houses for sale in suburban Philadelphia," he adds.