OAKLAND, Calif. – An Oakland couple reunited Friday with their hidden hero — the dispatcher who helped guide them through the birth of their son during an unexpected home delivery.
Ricki Dorman said she was 39 weeks pregnant when she began having contractions and her water suddenly broke. Realizing they would not make it to the hospital, she and her husband, Martin Diller, called 911 from their bathroom floor.
It was just before noon on Feb. 12 when Oakland fire dispatcher Monica Rios answered the call.
‘Holy sh—. Hey baby’
Though the couple had planned for a hospital birth, their son Jack had a plan of his own.
In audio from the call, Rios asked, “Is he completely out?”
“It’s coming out, yeah. OK. I’m pulling it out right now… I got him, he’s crying. Holy sh—. Hey baby, hey baby,” Diller responded.
With guidance from Rios, Diller delivered the baby and then the placenta while remaining on the line.
“Did you have a baby girl or a boy?” Rios asked. “A boy? Congratulations,” she said with a laugh.
The call lasted less than seven minutes.
Shortly after the birth, firefighters arrived at the home.
Captain Mike Hillesheim and crews from Engine 8 entered the home and helped cut the umbilical cord. Firefighter paramedic Chuck Mattis checked on both mother and baby to ensure they were stable.
“These calls can go sideways sometimes,” Mattis said. “But everything looked to be going in the right direction.”
Dispatcher honored
Dig deeper:
Five weeks later, Rios was awarded a “Stork Pin,” a gift for delivering a baby in the field.
She said it was the first time in her six years as a dispatcher that a baby was born before emergency crews arrived.
Dispatchers do not always learn what happens after a call, and rarely meet the people they help.
“It’s part of the job,” Rios said. “I don’t expect all this recognition, but I do appreciate it.”
Dorman said Rios’ calm presence on the call was assuring.
“Just having her voice there and having someone in the room with us felt like it was support,” she said.
Diller praised Rios for staying composed during an intense moment.
“To be as calm, collected and professional… it just showed how experienced and great at her job she is,” he said.
Full-circle moment
Big picture view:
In a twist, Rios was five months pregnant when she took the call.
“I just thought, you know, what if it was me on the other line? How would I want the dispatcher to react?” she said.
Rios is expecting a baby girl in July.
“It meant a lot to us to come here and thank Monica in person,” Diller said. “It’s a powerful thing to deliver a child.”