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"It is one of those things you are going to remember forever"
In a nutshell, that’s how Richfield firefighter Brian Wienholz described his recent experience assisting a mother through childbirth in her vehicle.
“In our line of work, we see so much death, so to be able to help bring a baby into the world is a true high point. Like a hole-in-one golf shot,” remarked Wienholz.
And if that wasn’t enough, it is the second childbirth that Wienholz has assisted within his career as a firefighter. Four years ago, he assisted paramedics with the delivery of Finley Erickson, a Richfield resident who was in a hurry to be born.
In most cases, an imminent birth call doesn’t tend to end with an in-car delivery. In fact, most firefighters will not deliver a single baby during their careers.
“Normally, when we have a call like this, we actually have enough time to get the medics on the scene and transfer the patie
nt over,” explained Wienholz. “Our job is to time contractions, see if the mom’s water has broken and eventually transfer the patient to the paramedics to get her to the hospital.”
The call Wienholz was a part of a few weeks ago did not follow that normal sequence of events. When he and his partner Alex Crofford arrived on the scene, it was obvious that the mother had been laboring for quite some time and was getting close to delivery.
“Once I assessed the situation, I told my partner to grab the obstetrics kit because this was going to happen soon” acknowledged Wienholz. “We were working in the back seat of her car and there wasn’t a ton of room. The paramedics arrived shortly after and offered to take over, but I was ready and in the best position to help the mother.”The baby quickly made his debut, delivered into Wienholz’s hands and then into his mother’s arms.
“The baby boy was healthy and the mom did fantastic,” beamed Wienholz. “We’re just there to make sure the mom and baby are fine afterward. She did all the work and gets all the credit.”
When asked how he felt during the moment, Wienholz was relaxed about the event.
“I felt very calm in the situation. We train for it, and while it is something unique, it is not new,” he said. “I’m always excited to hear the baby cry, and in this case, I was excited for the dad. He looked stunned, and it was fun to be able to hand him his son.”
While Wienholz has not heard from the family since the exciting delivery, he hopes they will stop by someday to remember the excitement.
When asked for his advice to expecting parents, Wienholz was full of wisdom born of personal experience.
“While you always want to have a plan for the when the day comes, everyone needs to understand that with children, anytime you make a plan, it is going to get messed up. Even from the very beginning,” laughed the father of four. “If you get worried, or if things move fast, you can always call 9-1-1 and we’ll be there for you as soon as we can to help.”
With his depth of experience, those expecting parents can cross their fingers that Wienholz will be on call.