Erin's in the News (Again)!
A local Gaithersburg paper published an article about my younger sister, Erin, who gave birth to her fourth child in the parking lot of the local firestation last week. You can link to it
Baby delivered in parking lot of Gaithersburg fire station
Woman realized she could not make it to hospital
By Nathan Carrick Staff Writer
This was a different kind of late night delivery.
While on the way to Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville last week to give birth, Erin Presley told her husband, Christian, to pull over.
She was in labor.
The baby was coming.
"I said, ‘We can be at the hospital in five minutes," Christian Presley said. "She said no, she felt like she had to push. And she was the calm one. She suggested we pull over into the fire station."
They pulled into the Gaithersburg-Washington Grove Fire Department Station 8 at the corner of Montgomery Village and Russell avenues shortly before 3 a.m. May 27 and rang the doorbell.
When there was no answer, Christian Presley called 911.
The redirected call woke up Master Firefighter Michael Skidmore inside. He came rushing out to the parking lot.
"Mike said, ‘trade places,' and I stepped back and he stepped in," Pressley said.
Skidmore said the baby's head already was visible when he arrived, and the delivery took just a few moments.
When Erin Presley woke Christian at 2:45 a.m. at their Montgomery Village home, her contractions already were strong, she said.
"I would never have anticipated it being so short," she said. "When I felt how strong [the contractions] were, I said this is not supposed to be happening so fast."
Her water broke as she got in the car.
"He said we can make it in five minutes, but I said we don't have five minutes," she said.
Shortly after 3 a.m., in the passenger seat of his parent's car, Isaac Presley was born.
He weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces.
"It was definitely cramped quarters," Skidmore said.
Christian Pressley was in shock, he said.
"I would say it was extremely terrifying, but it happened so fast it didn't really have time to sink in and freak me out properly," he said.
Although firefighters periodically deliver babies, this was Skidmore's first, he said.
"We see both sides, from bringing life into the world, to the latter, seeing death," he said. Skidmore did not get much sleep that night. A few seconds after the baby was delivered, he was off on another call. At 8 a.m., he played the bagpipes at a funeral in Rockville.
Other firefighters at the station posted the delivery on Twitter shortly after it happened, and friends were congratulating him after the funeral, Skidmore said.
The Presley's have three other children — Jacen, 2, Aedan, 4, and Eilanora, 7 — but this was the quickest birth, they said.
"Our doctor was amazed it happened so fast," Erin Presley said. "When we got to the hospital he said, ‘you only called a few minutes ago.'"
For now, the Presleys are pausing at four children, and may decide that is enough.
"There's a slim possibility we're having more," Erin said. "But we're definitely not having any more any time soon."
While on the way to Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville last week to give birth, Erin Presley told her husband, Christian, to pull over.
She was in labor.
The baby was coming.
"I said, ‘We can be at the hospital in five minutes," Christian Presley said. "She said no, she felt like she had to push. And she was the calm one. She suggested we pull over into the fire station."
They pulled into the Gaithersburg-Washington Grove Fire Department Station 8 at the corner of Montgomery Village and Russell avenues shortly before 3 a.m. May 27 and rang the doorbell.
When there was no answer, Christian Presley called 911.
The redirected call woke up Master Firefighter Michael Skidmore inside. He came rushing out to the parking lot.
"Mike said, ‘trade places,' and I stepped back and he stepped in," Pressley said.
Skidmore said the baby's head already was visible when he arrived, and the delivery took just a few moments.
When Erin Presley woke Christian at 2:45 a.m. at their Montgomery Village home, her contractions already were strong, she said.
"I would never have anticipated it being so short," she said. "When I felt how strong [the contractions] were, I said this is not supposed to be happening so fast."
Her water broke as she got in the car.
"He said we can make it in five minutes, but I said we don't have five minutes," she said.
Shortly after 3 a.m., in the passenger seat of his parent's car, Isaac Presley was born.
He weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces.
"It was definitely cramped quarters," Skidmore said.
Christian Pressley was in shock, he said.
"I would say it was extremely terrifying, but it happened so fast it didn't really have time to sink in and freak me out properly," he said.
Although firefighters periodically deliver babies, this was Skidmore's first, he said.
"We see both sides, from bringing life into the world, to the latter, seeing death," he said. Skidmore did not get much sleep that night. A few seconds after the baby was delivered, he was off on another call. At 8 a.m., he played the bagpipes at a funeral in Rockville.
Other firefighters at the station posted the delivery on Twitter shortly after it happened, and friends were congratulating him after the funeral, Skidmore said.
The Presley's have three other children — Jacen, 2, Aedan, 4, and Eilanora, 7 — but this was the quickest birth, they said.
"Our doctor was amazed it happened so fast," Erin Presley said. "When we got to the hospital he said, ‘you only called a few minutes ago.'"
For now, the Presleys are pausing at four children, and may decide that is enough.
"There's a slim possibility we're having more," Erin said. "But we're definitely not having any more any time soon."
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