Dispatchers help deliver two babies in less than two weeks

By Dan Rascon

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    SPRINGVILLE CITY, Utah (KSL-TV) — Two babies were delivered at home in less than two weeks. A real shocker for Springville City Dispatchers, who took those desperate calls for help from two different fathers.

The first happened on Aug. 15 at 6:41 a.m., when little Vida Christian came into the world. Not in a hospital, but in the front room of the Christian’s home.

“I tried to get (my wife) into the car and she said we are not going to make it into the car. So we came back inside and lied down, and we are like, ‘what do we do? Are we having a baby here?’” Scott Christian told KSL TV about the morning he made the 911 call for help. “Just did what had to be done.”

“Just want to make sure that cord is not wrapped around the baby’s neck,” you could hear the dispatcher say to Scott Christian in the 911 call.

He said the dispatcher was calm and knew just what to do, and that helped him to remain calm.

“Just in the panic of the moment it was, ‘Okay do this, okay put your hand on the baby’, all the steps,” he said.

“Oh good, cry. That was an amazing cry,” the dispatcher said to Scott Christian, as you could hear the baby crying in the 911 call.

Julienne Christian, Scott Chrsitian’s wife, said it was quite the experience to have the baby in the front living room.

“Kind of like an out-of-body experience where I could do hard things. All the emotions of relief. I was so grateful for (the dispatchers) calm manner,” she said.

Less than two weeks later, on Aug. 27 at 7:47 a.m., little Rilie came into this world, also born at a home.

“It was really scary. I got a text from my wife I needed to come home,” Thomas Lewis, Rilie’s father, told KSL TV. “I got home and I could hear screaming in the back room.”

Thomas Lewis called 911. “I said my wife is having a baby and he’s already coming!”

Thankfully, he too was guided by a dispatcher to deliver the baby. Rilie was eight weeks early, and Thomas Lewis had to do mouth-to-mouth to get him breathing again.

“He was making movements, he was making a little bit of noises at that point, and I was able to hear him. And he was breathing after that,” he said with relief.

Rilie weighed just 4 lbs, 14 ounces, and ended up having to be airlifted to Primary Children’s Hospital, where he is at the NICU. Thomas Lewis said Rilie is doing well and expected to make a full recovery.

Both families thanked dispatchers for their kind and quick work to help them bring their babies into this world.

“Oh I would just thank them,” Thomas Lewis said. He credits the dispatcher for helping to save the life of his son. “The dispatcher talking through how many breaths to give and the duration.”

“Thank you for being calm and knowing what to say,” Scott Christian said.

Brenda Butterfield, the Springville City dispatch supervisor, told KSL TV the two dispatchers are veterans and did exactly what they were trained to do.

“The human interaction, just being kind, knowing that we are there to help. I think it’s awesome. Our dispatchers are great.”

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