by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
Barbara Eaton has high hopes for her five-week old daughter, Delaney Rose; she hopes she grows up to follow her passions, to fulfill her dreams – and, not to forget, to stop springing surprises.
Delaney Rose Eaton sprang a surprise when she arrived in the world, nine days earlier than expected and so quickly that three Sartell police officers presided over her at-home birth. Barbara Eaton shared her memories of that day and the days following in an interview Sept. 28 with the Sartell Newsleader.
Wednesday, Aug. 26 started out as a busy day for Graham and Barbara Eaton and their daughter, 9-year-old Madelyn. A doctor’s check-up for Barbara showed her pregnancy was going just fine, right on schedule, that there was nothing to worry about, with a due date set for Sept. 6. She made another check-up date for Aug. 31.
After her visit to the doctor, the family looked forward to a get-together with Graham’s mother, brother, niece and nephew who had come from their home in Ely (Graham’s former home town) for a visit. They all enjoyed a supper at the Green Mill restaurant. During the meal, Barbara began experiencing very unpleasant back pains and twinges now and then.
After the supper, the three children wanted to get an ice-cream cone before the Eatons had to go back to Ely so they drove to get cones at the Dairy Queen on Hwy. 10 South in east St. Cloud. After that the Eatons of Sartell said their goodbyes to the Eatons from Ely.
Barbara and Graham had driven separately to the Green Mill supper. Madelyn decided to ride back to Sartell in her mother’s car. That was about 8:15 p.m. Just minutes later, Barbara had to pull of the highway by McDonald’s in east St. Cloud. The back pains had begun again, with a vengeance. After they subsided a bit, she began to drive again, but by the time she arrived back home, the pains were so bad she couldn’t get out of that car and into the house fast enough.
Bad as the pains were, she did not think a birth was imminent. After all, she had been to the doctor just hours before, all was fine, and these pains were not birth contractions, just back pains.
Barbara lay down and told Madelyn to call her father, who was also on his way home. He arrived in 10 minutes. She told him to call her mother, who lives near Holdingford so if something should happen Madelyn would have a babysitter. At about 9 p.m. Barbara’s mother arrived and regular-spaced contractions had begun. Graham called 911 for an ambulance. The female dispatcher kept Graham on the line, giving him instructions for preparations, such as getting some towels ready. Meantime, three Sartell officers arrived at the scene, the apartment building on Pinecone Road across from the golf course. One of them grabbed an obstetrics emergency kit from a squad car, and just like that – at 9:56 p.m. – the baby girl was suddenly born. The officers suctioned out the baby’s nose and mouth, cut the umbilical cord and placed the baby onto Barbara’s chest. Just then, two ambulances arrived, mother and baby were placed in an ambulance and whisked off to the St. Cloud Hospital as emergency-medical technicians monitored them carefully. All went well, without a hitch. Next day, mother and daughter were back home, safe and sound and happy.
Barbara remembers the birth night as “massive chaos” in her mind. She heard the distant sirens, and she knew they were coming for her, but so many thoughts impinged on her mind: Would the construction on Pinecone Road impede a quick route to the hospital? Why is the birth happening so suddenly? Why is everybody in the house so frantic and nervous?
The next morning, back from the hospital, the first thought that occurred to Barbara was this: “Oh, my goodness, those poor police officers! What did they see or hear when they were here?”
Delaney Rose is a beautiful, happy baby who sleeps most of the time. When she is awake, she is intensely curious about anything and everything, her mother noted.
“She is very relaxed, a very contented little lady,” she added. “Madelyn, her sister, absolutely adores her. She brushes her hair, she helps give baths, she helps with feeding. And Madelyn was so helpful the night of the birth, and she’s been helpful ever since.”
Madelyn even suggested they bring cookies and candies to the helpful police officers – John Lester, Kelly Mader and Steve Mathew. A week after the birth, that is what they did. They bought a big box of cookies and a tin of toffee candies and brought them to the Sartell Police Department. At the time, only Mathew was in the station, but he happily accepted the treats on behalf of his colleagues. The Eatons still plan to visit the other officers to express their gratitude.
Barbara is on maternity leave until Oct. 12 from her job as school advocate at the Anna Marie’s shelter in St. Cloud. Graham is a construction worker.
“We’re all so very grateful for the police officers,” Barbara said. “We’re also thankful for the dispatchers, the ambulance drivers and medical technicians, the nurses and everybody else at the hospital. They were so helpful and compassionate.”
Someday, Barbara said, Delaney Rose just might become a police officer or another kind of public servant.
“Maddy (Madelyn) is that way; she’s such a giver and she cares so much about others,” Barbara said. “I think Delaney will be the same way. I just hope she stops springing surprises.”
Graham and Barbara Eaton are proud of their two daughters — Madelyn, 9, and newborn Delaney Rose whose emergency birth Aug. 26 was presided over by three Sartell police officers.
