Schriever Fire Department Delivers 'Impatient' Baby in Parking Lot

Three-month-old Matteo Crayon is, by all accounts, a calm and happy baby. He's curious in the company of strangers — occasionally greeting them with a smile — but makes very little noise. He rarely cries, even when he's hungry. His parents, Sarah and Space Force Capt. Chris Crayon, agree that he is "pretty chill."

Matteo's relaxed demeanor belies the fact that, three months ago, he was so impatient to enter the world that he was very nearly born on the floor of the family bathroom.

It had been a normal pregnancy for Sarah, with the expected physical changes, occasional discomfort, and frequent trips to the bathroom. She had just made one of those trips, at about 3 a.m. on March 4, when everything changed.

"When I got back to bed, (Chris) asked me if I was OK, and I was," Sarah said. "But then, like, minutes later, contractions started."

Armed with lessons learned from the birth of their daughter, Aiyanna, four years ago, the Crayons were as prepared as they could be. Chris called a nearby hospital, informed them of Sarah's condition, and got ready to leave their home at Schriever Space Force Base.

"We had a bag packed and everything," Chris said.

But as soon as Sarah got out of bed, it was clear that this delivery would be nowhere near as smooth as Aiyanna's, she said.

"My water broke, and my legs just collapsed," she said. "I couldn't walk."

Aided by her mother and husband, Sarah was able to get as far as the bathroom, but no farther. She was in excruciating pain. Her legs wouldn't work. Ready or not, Matteo was on his way.

"I could feel him coming," she said.

Chris called for a Schriever ambulance and was stunned at the response time.

"I was checking my watch," he said. "From the moment I called to the moment they were at the door, was less than three minutes."

Sam Trujillo, a 22-year veteran first responder, has been involved with several childbirths, but as soon as he arrived at the Crayon home, he knew this would be anything but typical.

For starters, Sarah was on the second floor of the house, unable to walk, and the staircase was too narrow for a traditional stretcher.

"We had to figure out a way to get her down the stairs," Trujillo said.

Using a bedsheet as a makeshift stretcher, Trujillo and his fellow first responders carefully carried Sarah down the stairs before placing her into the ambulance and heading for the gate. As the sole mobile emergency unit on the base, they weren't allowed to leave Schriever, but an American Medical Response ambulance was on its way to meet the Schriever unit at the gate and take Sarah to the hospital.

Matteo, however, had other plans.

Chris was following the ambulance in his truck when he saw the emergency vehicle swerve into the parking lot of the Schriever Visitor Center.

"I didn't know why they were pulling over. Then the doors flew open, and I heard someone say, 'He's crowning.'"

Chris joined his wife in the rear of the ambulance, and within minutes, Matteo was born.

Sarah's previous labor, with Aiyanna, had been 15 hours long, with the aid of an epidural injection. Matteo's birth was different in nearly every way.

"From the time I called to the time he was out was 28 minutes," Chris said.

When Trujillo looked at Matteo, he didn't like what he saw.

"The baby was blue, his breathing was shallow, and he wasn't crying," Trujillo said.

About 30 seconds of stimulation and suctioning was enough for Trujillo to dislodge whatever had been obstructing the baby's breathing. With his airway clear, and his birth journey complete, Matteo began to cry — and shot a stream of urine into Trujillo's face.

"I've never been so happy to get peed on," he said.

After a two-day stay at the hospital, the mother and baby were fine.

The Crayon family continues to praise Trujillo and his team for their rapid response time and quick thinking.

"(Trujillo) showed up and immediately took control," Chris said. "I knew everything was going to be fine once Sam got here."

Trujillo was similarly impressed with Sarah and Chris.

"It was scary," he said. "But these two are the calmest parents I've ever seen in my life."

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