Florida Baby, Parents Reunited With Medics Who Assisted Home Birth

June 28--Baby Kayla made a dramatic debut after firefighters were enlisted to help with her breech birth, but on Saturday the month-old infant rested peacefully in her mother's arms.

Her grateful parents, Elissa and Anthony Hilt, were reunited with the firefighter/paramedics who came to mom and baby's aid about 2:15 a.m. May 23. They shared cake and coffee at the fire station where the Margate-Coconut Creek Fire Department crew is based.

"It was all hands on deck to get Kayla delivered safely," Interim Fire Chief Dan Booker said. "It's one of those once-in-a-lifetime calls. It's rarer than rare."

After Elissa Hilt's water broke during her at-home birth in Coconut Creek, the baby's feet appeared and it was clear the baby would not be born headfirst. The child was stuck, and her position posed a serious risk. They called 911 for help.

"I was very calm. I had to stay calm, because panic doesn't get you anywhere," she said. "It couldn't have been done without the midwife and paramedics."

It also helped that Elissa Hilt, 27, is a natural birth instructor and had insight and an understanding of what was going on, she said. Although her midwife had managed to somewhat dislodge the baby, Lt. David Nyenbrink and other crew members arrived at the home to safely help the mother and baby through the labor process.

When Kayla was born, she had a weak pulse and was unresponsive, Nyenbrink said. Paramedics gave her CPR and waited for her to take her first breath. She was briefly placed on her mother's chest before being taken to West Boca Medical Center, where she remained hospitalized for 10 days.

"At any point, it's critical," Nyenbrink said. "When we heard that first cry, we were absolutely relieved."

Firefighter/paramedic Al Guerra said he got on a stretcher and acted as a "surrogate mother" for the ambulance ride to the hospital. The baby could not be left to bounce on a stretcher during the ride there, he said.

Anthony Hilt went along for the ride and was finally able to relax and "take a deep breath" after the emotional climax of his daughter's birth, he said.

The couple's midwife, Mary Harris, has delivered more than 1,000 babies during her 15 years helping mothers through labor, she said, but this was her first breech birth. Just days before Kayla was due, the baby was positioned correctly, headfirst, but somehow the baby flipped inside the womb, Harris said.

Elissa Hilt said she had opted for an at-home birth to have a better bonding experience with her baby girl soon after the birth, as babies are often immediately whisked away for observation at hospitals.

The couple has a 2 1/2-year-old son, Matthew, who was born in a hospital.

The fire-rescue crew that helped with Kayla's birth also included Capt. Eric Achiron and firefighter/paramedic Jonathan Morejon. Lt. Rob Davis and firefighter/paramedics Brendan Lis and Keith Kennedy also responded to the call.

On Saturday, Nyenbrink and Guerra took turns holding the baby girl who donned a pink bow on a head full of hair and a striped pink dress.

"She's pretty calm, but she's a strong girl, for sure," her mother said. "She's definitely strong-minded."

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