Delivering a baby unexpectedly quickly at any time can be alarming for most, but one South Florida couple had a sympathetic voice to help them through the ordeal. That voice was Jessica Quitoni, a pregnant dispatcher who works for the Coral Springs Police Department.
It was a Sunday afternoon, and Vernal Green was home with his pregnant wife, Aveny, when she started to go into labor. “Out of nowhere, the contractions got really strong,” Vernal told NBC Miami. “The baby just started coming way faster than we expected.”
He dialed 911 at 12:29 pm and got dispatcher Quitoni on the line. Immediately, she could hear the panic in his voice as she calmly went into action.
“Hi, my wife is pregnant, and I think she’s going into labor, and we might not be able to make it to the hospital,” Green said over the recorded line.
“My main thing is I wanted to know how far along she was and what number baby she was having because it makes a difference,” Quitoni told NBC.
“So, if the baby’s head is out, what you are gonna need to do to deliver it is support the baby’s head gently to prevent the baby from coming out too fast. OK? Do not push or pull on the baby,” Quitoni said.
And as suddenly as it had started, the call – and the delivery – was over. “The whole baby is out!” The call was all of 37 seconds. “It happened very quickly,” Quitoni said. “It happened very fast.”
“The whole baby is out. Alright! Is it a boy or girl?” Quitoni asked.
“Girl. Girl!” came the reply.
“It’s a girl? Congratulations, I’m having a girl too. I’m 37 weeks. I’m right behind your wife, OK?” said Quitoni.
Quitoni marked the time of birth at 12:33 and kept the new parents calm until the paramedics arrived. “She just really gave us confidence that we could get through this,” Green recalled.
Shortly after the safe delivery of the couple’s baby girl, Victory, the Greens meet Quitoni in person, embracing her and introducing her to the baby she helped deliver. “Oh, she’s beautiful,” cooed Quitoni, as NBC7 cameras filmed.
Next, it’s Quitoni’s turn to deliver a baby – her own. In fact, during the whole call, she was having contractions. “The irony of me taking that call because I’ve been having contractions all weekend, and I was having contractions while taking the call,” she said. “Now, we’re just waiting for her arrival.”
