Brunswick parents reunited with triple-0 call-taker that helped deliver daughter
A Brunswick couple has been reunited with the triple-0 call-taker that helped them deliver their daughter on the nature strip just minutes from their house. And one piece of simple advice proved to be the most important of the call.
North West
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A Brunswick couple has been reunited with the triple-0 call-taker that helped them deliver their daughter on the nature strip on the way to hospital.
Madison Wilcox was born just after 6am on November 18, 2018 on the side of Pearson St near Reaburn Reserve, only minutes from the family’s home.
Mum Jennifer Taylor was a week overdue and was going to be induced that day at The Royal Women’s Hospital but after some early morning contractions and a few speed bumps and roundabouts her second daughter was born before the 8am appointment.
Just over a year later Ms Taylor and her partner Neil Wilcox finally got to meet call-taker Michelle Aquilina at the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority’s Special Delivery event.
“It gave us an opportunity to thank her,” Mr Wilcox said.
“The ambulance guys there on the day, you see them in person and you can shake their hand and say thank you – but she’s just a faceless voice at the end of the phone until (now).
“They’ve got a pretty tough job and this is one of the good stories.
“I imagine some of the pretty bad situations they get phone calls from and we thought it would be a good way to show our appreciation.”
Ms Taylor said the most important advice Ms Aquilina gave was “not to drop the baby”.
“From my perspective, it couldn’t have gone any better,” the mum-of-two said.
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“It was over and done with in 40 minutes – I had a couple of big contractions and my body did what it needed to do.
“Madison was pretty quiet when she came out, there was no crying and she was just blowing a few bubbles so that’s how Neil knew she was OK.”
Mr Wilcox said he would have preferred to make it to the hospital but because everything went well he now had a good story to tell.
Riley, 2, the couple’s eldest daughter, sat in the back seat as the triple-0 call played through the car’s Bluetooth connection and a neighbour brought out towels and a doona to cover mum and her new sister.
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Paramedics arrived five minutes after the birth and helped complete the journey to the hospital, where the pair stayed for a few days before returning home to Brunswick.
ESTA chief executive Marty Smyth said call operators helped to deliver about 100 babies over the phone every year.
“Some deliveries occur on the side of the road, at a bus stop, service station or on a driveway,” he said.
“Some of our operators have delivered more than a dozen babies.”
The Brunswick couple were one eight Victorian families reunited with triple-0 operators that helped deliver their babies.