Catherine Herle is an EMT and EMD (Systems Status Controller) with the eastern division of Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) Oklahoma (USA) who likes working the night shift. She’s been involved with EMS since she was 16 years old and has been working in emergency dispatch for a little over a year now.
Her co-workers at EMSA Oklahoma have also started calling her “The Baby Master.”
Why? During one week in January 2024, Herle helped deliver three babies over the phone—one set of twins and another baby who was born in a car on the side of the road.
One thing that sets EMSA Oklahoma apart from other communication centers is that every EMD who works for them is either EMT- or paramedic-certified. About half of the EMDs also work on the street in some capacity, either through EMSA or with another volunteer service. Even those who aren’t riding around the state in ambulances anymore are required to keep all of their certifications. Herle works with a local fire department in an EMS capacity.
This puts her in the unique position of having helped deliver babies over the phone before EMS arrives and as a responder on scene. When asked about the differences in a baby delivery from either angle, Herle said that the lack of control on the dispatch side is frustrating.
“Over the phone, these people are my eyes and hands,” she said. “They’re letting me know what I need to know.”
And, of course, the caller’s level of cooperation is paramount. For one of the calls, Herle started giving the dad post-childbirth instructions only to realize that the mother was giving birth to a second baby. Familiar with the Medical Priority Dispatch System™ (MPDS®), Herle immediately opened the appropriate instructions.
For the other notable baby call, the mother and father pulled their car over because the baby wasn’t waiting to be born. Herle had to consider how to get the mother as flat as possible and ended up instructing the father to put the seat back. The baby was delivered with the umbilical cord wrapped around the baby’s neck (also known as a nuchal cord). Herle helped the new parents remain calm and focused as she instructed them to give some slack to the cord and then unwrap it.
Herle instructed the father to get out of the car and go over to the mother’s side so he could more effectively help with the delivery. It wasn’t until a few days later that she found out he’d never gotten out of the car and had delivered the baby over the center console, which was less than ideal but nevertheless got the job done.
“In terms of deliveries, though, it was silky smooth,” Herle said.
Unfortunately, her career in 911 isn’t all sunshine and roses.
“Everyone’s making jokes about me because I’ve been delivering babies,” Herle said wryly. “But for every single baby delivery call, I’ve had a pediatric arrest call. For every life I’ve helped come into this world, I’ve seen another life leave it.”
For instance, one call that stays with her is a 16-year-old who took his own life using a shotgun. Two of his loved ones tried doing CPR, but he was obviously dead. Herle feels some guilt around having them try CPR because it may have traumatized them even more in an already awful situation.
“That’s the one thing that’s nice about baby calls!” she said. “That gets resolved immediately. I know that I’ve done everything I possibly could've done.”
What is Herle’s advice to other EMDs who are nervous to take childbirth calls? “You need to make the protocols work for you. They’re a tool you need to prepare to use. And always keep thinking about environmental factors. What is happening on the caller’s side of the phone?”
