An emergency call handler and a family have shared an emotional reunion after an unexpected home birth. Breakfast was there as they met.
When Corné Fox suddenly went into labour at home in the early hours of June 1, there was no time to make it to hospital. Instead, her husband John and their midwife called 111, reaching Hato Hone St John call handler Gemma Cale.
“I could tell that she was very close to delivering,” Cale recalled. “So I stayed on the line with them and started preparing them to give birth at home.”
At 2.13am, Leonard Fox entered the world – just 49 seconds before an ambulance crew arrived at the home.
“It was so quick,” Corné said. “It was nice to hear her calm voice in the background while screaming.”
Emotional meeting for new mum and the woman who took her call for help during an unexpected home birth. (Source: Breakfast)
Cale calmly guided John through the delivery step-by-step from the Auckland Communications Centre.
For John, the moment it all became real was when Cale told him he needed to be ready to catch his son.
“It all happened real fast, but I remember Gemma constantly asking us questions.”
The Fox family’s story is a rare one in the world of emergency call handling. Cale has helped deliver 19 babies during her time at Hato Hone St John, but she’d never met any of them in person.
Meeting baby Leonard in person four weeks later was emotional for Cale, who said, “I always wonder what happens to them afterwards, because as soon as the ambulance takes them to hospital, that’s it for us so it’s really special.”
She’s a member of St John’s “Stork Club”, made up of call takers who have guided at-home births over the phone. Each member receives a stork pin to mark the milestone.
“They are my favourite kind of calls,” she said. “A lot of our calls are really sad, really scary. A lot of the time we are on the call when someone passes in their last minutes of life, so it’s a privilege to be able to assist in someone’s first minutes of life.”
For the Foxes, the reunion was a chance to say thank you in person.
“I feel like people in the background don’t always get the recognition they deserve,” Corné said. “So we just really wanted to reach out and say thank you.”
As the two families said goodbye, Corné added with a smile: “You guys are amazing.”
Cale responded, “I think you did a pretty good job yourself.”
