Connecticut Paramedics Act as Delivery Service
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Matthew Wright thought he'd have more than enough time Monday night to enjoy a steak dinner before taking his pregnant wife to a Waterbury hospital maternity ward. After all, the young couple had three false alarms in the last two weeks. When Michele Wright said she was going into labor again, Matthew Wright thought it was false alarm number four. He was wrong. "I told him it was time to go but he wanted to eat first," Michele Wright said, laughing. "By the time he was done eating and got the bags ready I was ready to push." And push she did. The 19-year-old mother said when her water broke just after 8 p.m., she knew she wasn't going to make it to her hospital, St. Mary's in Waterbury. Two minutes later, when the baby started to come, she knew she wouldn't even make it out the door. "My husband called 911 but he couldn't hear them because I was yelling so loud," she said. "Then they called back and tried to help him." With paramedics and police on the way to their Riverside Avenue apartment, the 20-year-old Matthew Wright helped deliver Ashlynn Olivia — at least part of the way. "My wife kept saying she had to push and I kept saying ‘No, no don't,'" he said. "I didn't think it was going to happen that fast but it sure did." "I got her head out and there she was," the young father said. "She was pink and started making noises. I tried getting the rest of her but that's when the paramedics arrived and they took over and pulled her out." About 8:20 p.m., David Murphy, a Campion Ambulance paramedic, helped Ashlynn the rest of the way. Campion EMTs Kelly Smart and Jane Krish and Torrington Police Officer Kevin Tieman also helped. "We get close calls like this all the time, but not many deliveries in the field," said the 47-year-old Murphy. It was the second time in Murphy's 12-year paramedic career that he helped deliver a baby on the job. "It's an exciting thing, a little nerve-racking at first, but when you're sure the baby and mom are fine, it's exciting and a special event." After checking the baby, Murphy clamped the umbilical cord and let Matthew Wright cut it with a scalpel. "It was incredible," Matthew Wright said. "Scary at first, but when I knew she was all right, it was a great." The quick birth was somewhat of a surprise for Michele Wright. During her first pregnancy nearly two years ago, she was in labor for 22 hours before giving birth to her son, Caleb. The seven pound, one ounce Ashlynn obviously had different plans.