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Woman delivers daughter's baby

April McMasters holds her grandson Maddex while sitting beside daughter Makayla in their Allegheny Township home.
Home birth aided by 911 dispatcher

ALLEGHENY TWP — After calling 911, April McMasters knew it was too late to get her pregnant daughter to a hospital.

Her grandson Maddex wasn't waiting any longer to make his debut.

“We realized he was coming,” McMasters said.

She credited Butler County 911 dispatcher Mark Bell for instructing her on how to deliver a baby on Dec. 5 at her family's home on Sandy Point Road.

“No hesitation of any sort,” McMasters said.

She said Bell prevented her from suffering from any anxiety during the process.

“He had a such comforting voice and demeanor,” McMasters said.

Bell said McMasters did a good job following instructions.

“She was definitely excited,” he said. “We got her calmed down. She did everything we told her.”

Makayla McMasters was due to give birth Dec. 11, so her mother was surprised the baby was coming when her daughter was 39 weeks and one day along in the pregnancy.

“On my lunch break, she was having contractions,” April McMasters said.

As the afternoon progressed, the contractions intensified.

“They were getting stronger,” McMasters said.

The point of no return came at 3:30 p.m.

“Her water broke,” McMasters said.

After the successful delivery at 3:47 p.m., Maddex and his mother were taken by ambulance to Clarion Hospital.

The new member of the family weighed in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces.

Bell and his superiors at county emergency services laud the new county automated Emergency Medical Dispatch system for helping expedite the delivery.

The dispatcher said the electronic system saves time compared to the previous method for referring to medical information.

“You had to go through flip cards,” Bell said of the old way.

Although Bell also is a paramedic for Slippery Rock ambulance, he still found the EMD helpful.

Steve Bicehouse, director of county emergency services, explained the system has a list of questions to ask depending on the ailing person's symptoms.

He said the system selects questions based on the answers the caller provides.

“It's not freelancing,” Bicehouse said. “There's a whole matrix in there.”

He said the EMD is essential when people require medical aid before an ambulance can arrive.

“That's the beauty of it,” Bicehouse said.

Rob McLafferty, 911 coordinator, agreed the EMD system is a boon to helping people.

“We're very excited with the way it's working out,” McLafferty said.

The county paid $105,878 for the system, which was activated this fall. Nearly half the expense was paid by the state's 2012-13 allocation from wireless funds collected from fees assessed to cell phone users.

“It was money well spent,” Bicehouse said.

Living 22 miles from the nearest hospital, April McMasters agreed.

In addition to a safe delivery, she's glad to have been the one to deliver her grandson.

“It was amazing,” McMasters said. “It was an incredible experience to be there.”

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