911 Operator Meets North Carolina Mom and Newborn She Helped Deliver Over the Phone

Courtesy of Union County Government

A 911 operator in North Carolina who helped a woman on a distressed call deliver a baby safely at home got the opportunity to meet her and the newborn.

Union County dispatcher Keri Michaels meets Samantha Lockhart and her baby. Courtesy of Union County Government

Keri Michaels, the 911 dispatcher, was on her usual duty at around 3:30 a.m. when she received a call from a woman who was pregnant.

Samantha Lockhart, from Union City, woke up to contractions one early morning in the month of May. Within the next few minutes that followed, Lockhart’s waters broke. The mom, who was at home with her three kids, first called up her fiance, Lavante Baker, who was at work before reaching out to 911.

“It was about 3:30 in the morning, and she called and was very out of breath. I got the address out of her after a couple of tries because she was having such a hard time speaking,” Michaels told Good Morning America.

Lockhart told Michaels that she was pregnant and then “let out this loud wail.” By this time, Micheals knew that the expectant mom was already in labor and was going to soon deliver. Michaels knew that she was the only help available at that time and that she had to do her best.

After a conversation that lasted for only a minute and a half, Lockhart gave birth to a baby boy in just two pushes. The little boy weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces (approx. 3.7 kg) when he was born.

“You just have the baby?” Micheals asked Lockhart during the call, WSOC-TV reported. “Yes, ma’am,” answered Lockhart.

Michaels, who kept the mom calm until the paramedics arrived, asked her to wrap the baby in something and to check if the umbilical wasn’t around the newborn’s neck.

After his mother cleaned him off, baby Avonte let out his first cry. He then laid there, staring at his mother.

Courtesy of Union County Government

Less than six minutes after Avonte’s birth, paramedics and Baker arrived and the first photo of Avonte was taken on the couch.

“It’s really motivational,” Baker said. “It shows me how strong she is.”

Lockhart expressed her gratitude for Michaels in helping deliver her baby.

“It’s like God sent her honestly, for me, for this situation,” Lockhart said. “She kept me calm. She walked me through everything.”

Keri Michaels with Samantha Lockhart and her fiance. Courtesy of Union County Government

Almost two weeks after Avonte was born, the 911 dispatcher met Lockhart and her newborn. Micheals said she usually doesn’t get the opportunity to meet the people she helps so was fortunate to have had the reunion and will remember the call for the rest of her life.

Michaels, who got to have a hold of Avante, looked at him and said: “Your mama is a warrior.”

Looking back, Lockhart hadn’t really planned to deliver a baby herself but the unexpected happened. She said: “I did not think I would have my baby boy on my couch by myself, but God said otherwise.”

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