Rochester Hills

Firefighters deliver baby

By Linda Shepard
C & G Staff Writer

» Click on image to view full size « Photo provided Firefighters and members of the Govern family celebrate the birth of new baby Eliza Judith. Photo provided Firefighters and members of the Govern family celebrate the birth of new baby Eliza Judith.

ROCHESTER HILLS — When it comes to babies, the best-laid plans can quickly change into bedlam.

Things started slowly for Jewel Govern, three days before her second child was due Jan. 8, with random contractions. But the momentum picked up quickly around midnight.

“The contractions got stronger, one right after another,” dad Steve Govern said. “I decided to call 911. Her water broke, and the 911 people said to look to see if you can see the baby’s head. I looked and saw the baby’s scalp. I was a little freaked out.”

The Govern family lives across the street from a Rochester Hills fire station, and two firefighters arrived at the house in the nick of time.

Govern’s mother greeted firefighter paramedics Justin Boks and Andrew Matz at the door.

“We got to the top of the stairs and asked, ‘What is going on here?’” Boks said. “Mrs. Govern was laying on the floor. She was just beginning to go into delivery. The head was presenting. From the time we got there, it was under 10 minutes until the baby was born.”

Although he had never delivered a baby before, Boks said it’s one of the things paramedics are trained to do. “He was totally calm. It looked like he had been doing it for years,” Govern said.

Extra help arrived quickly, and soon patrol cars and ambulances were on the scene. “Five or six people were in my house,” Govern said. “They were all very nice and courteous. We had all this training; we’d gone to (prenatal) classes for five weeks. All these things went out the window because the baby was already there.”

“We had a captain, a lieutenant and more paramedics,” Boks said. “Total, we had five on the scene. We had two patients once the baby was delivered. We showed the baby to the dad, the big sister and the grandmother, and we transported them to the hospital.”

Baby Eliza Judith was a healthy 7 pounds and 14 ounces at birth, and big sister Isabella, 4, is thrilled to have a tiny sibling. “She holds her all the time and sings her lullabies,” Govern said. “She mixes up hymns with ‘Mary Poppins’ songs. It’s really cute.”

Boks said the experience of delivering a baby was amazing. “Typically on a 911 call, you see people at their worst. This was a great outcome. It wasn’t just me, I can’t take all the credit. It was definitely a team effort.

“I can’t describe how great of a call it was,” Boks said.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Linda Shepard at lshepard@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1065.