Copyright 2005 Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Inc.
By HAROLD A. GUSHUE JR.
Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Mass.)
BARRE, Mass. - Dennis D. Cross, a firefighter and intermediate EMT, has delivered a baby before. That was a boy about three years ago as a part-time member of the Oxford ambulance.
This time, however, it was his son.
In a telephone interview yesterday from UMass Memorial Medical Center - Memorial Campus in Worcester, he recounted the event.
“It all began about 3 a.m.,” he said. He said his wife, Natalie Ann, woke him up and said it was time to go. He said he was still groggy and asked, “Go where?”
His wife called the doctor, they grabbed a few needed items and got into his pickup truck. They left their home at 451 Summer St. and headed for the hospital. They got as far as Reed’s Country Store in New Braintree and his wife said the baby was about to be born.
“I have a radio and I’m calling for help over the radio,” he said.
He works for the North Brookfield Rescue Squad Inc., is a call firefighter for New Braintree and is still a part-time member of the Oxford ambulance. He called for the North Brookfield ambulance on a cell phone.
He said he didn’t call for the Barre ambulance because they had already left their home, and North Brookfield has full-time personnel, including a paramedic.
Mr. Cross said he also called for an on-duty cruiser, and North Brookfield and New Braintree responded.
He had gotten out his emergency medical bag and started attending to his wife when he saw the red lights of the ambulance. When the ambulance arrived, his wife was put onto a stretcher and they both got into the back of the ambulance, which started to head for the hospital.
They got about 200 feet down the road when the baby decided not to wait.
The driver got into the back, “and we delivered the baby right there. Things were a little hectic at first,” Mr. Cross said. The umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck. After that was untangled, “things went pretty much normal from there.” Paramedic Jake Duschane took care of his wife and he took care of his newborn son.
They arrived at the hospital and Mr. Cross said he was told to give the details of the birth to the hospital staff. He told them he was an intermediate EMT and had delivered the baby - “and I’m the father.” That came as a surprise to the hospital staff, he said.
Asked about being nervous, he replied, “Everybody was saying how surprisingly calm and laid back I was for having delivered my own child.” He praised the ambulance crew and added, “I was fortunate to have the crew that I did.”
The baby, Aidan, was about five weeks premature and weighed in at 5 pounds, 11 ounces, and measured 18 inches long, he said. Baby and mother are doing fine.
Mr. Cross said he has three other children. Dad was doing fine yesterday afternoon, although he was groggy from lack of sleep.
Mr. Cross said he returned home to clean up and get some other items his wife needed and was on his way back to the hospital.
He said he was in Oakham and had to pause a moment.
“It finally hit me after I was on my way back to the hospital.”