updated
Saturday, 2:15 PM
From the Metro staff at The Boston Globe

It took a team to deliver an Easton child

November 18, 2008 04:13 PM Email| Comments (5)| Text size +

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

The birth of a baby at a home in Easton last weekend was a team effort, with a police dispatcher giving advice to the anxious husband over the phone and firefighters and paramedics arriving in the nick of time to deliver the child.

Julia Mansfield’s husband, Chris, called for help at about 5:45 p.m. Sunday from the home on Meadowbrook Lane, said Allen Krajcik, deputy chief of police.

Dispatcher Jean Amichetti kept the husband on the line, trying to keep him calm and giving him instructions, while firefighters and paramedics raced to the scene.

In a 911 tape released by Easton police, Chris Mansfield can be heard shouting, “The baby’s coming out right now.” Seconds later, he said, “We’ve got people here.”

Paramedics Jeff Dupuis and Brendan McCarthy and firefighters Larry Blye and John White had arrived to take over and perform the delivery on the living room floor.

"I can't say enough about the dispatcher and the Police Department and the Fire Department and everyone that showed up. You always see these things in the movies and you say, 'Oh, that’ll never happen to me.' But when babies want to arrive, they arrive. There's no waiting," said Chris Mansfield, a 37-year-old sales representative.

"They knew exactly what to do. They calmed us, made sure we were relaxed, and everything came out perfect," he said.

Mansfield and his wife, a 38-year-old dental hygienist, were headed home today from Sturdy Memorial Hospital with baby Emily. They also have a 3-year-old son named Maximilian.

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5 comments so far...
  1. That 911 dispatcher isn't very helpful...

    Posted by EZ November 18, 08 03:52 PM
  1. Hey EZ - Not helpful? Would you be any different? Are YOU a medical professional? Seems to me that the call was made WAY after any "helpful" suggestions/advice could be given. If you listen, the Dad makes it very clear that "the baby is coming". Give the dispatcher a break - I'd like to see how'd you do in a situation like that - babies are born every day under stressful situations - and this certainly was a stressful situation. Glad to know it worked out okay. God, people just LOVE to grip about everything! EZ - maybe you should go to school to be a doctor, nurse or paramedic - I'm sure the whole world will be better off.

    Posted by HD November 18, 08 06:54 PM
  1. It's sad that birthing at home isn't the norm. I wouldn't trade my 2 homebirths for the world!

    Posted by Lynn November 18, 08 07:09 PM
  1. what do you mean !!?? Not helpful!!?? Get a life

    Posted by Diane November 18, 08 09:08 PM
  1. The dispatcher was wonderful. She kept the husband informed and productive during this stressful time. Thank God for all the help they received from the EMT's, Police, and family. And welcome Emily to this sometimes strange but wonderful world.

    Posted by Mary Seferi November 20, 08 10:07 AM
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