DELL RAPIDS, S.D. (AP) - Chansey Ford never thought she’d deliver a baby.
But that’s exactly how the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office deputy spent her last night on the overnight shift.
Ford was near Dell Rapids the night of Jan. 12, when she was dispatched to a home outside of Crooks for a baby who wasn’t going to wait for a hospital to come into the world.
She got to the Schneiderman family home and thought she was at the wrong address. Dallas and Janna Schneiderman’s three other children had no idea their newest sibling was about to be born in the home’s only bathroom.
Ford walked in and saw the top of Pippon Marie’s head.
Dallas had been on the phone with Metro Communications dispatcher Jason Harris, who coached the frazzled father on how to keep Janna safe and calm.
Ford helped bring out Pippon Schneiderman and suctioned out her nose and mouth. She and Dallas used a shoelace for the umbilical cord.
Ford held Pippon until medics arrived.
The Argus Leader (https://argusne.ws/2lwvjT5 ) reports Harris and Ford both received recognition for their actions in delivering Pippon.
Harris won a Stork Award from Metro Communications and Ford received a Division Commendation from the sheriff’s office. Both received stork pins.
Harris has been with Metro Communications for more than three years. He’s taken a few pregnancy calls, but none where the baby was coming this quickly and this far out of city limits.
Paul Niedringhaus, director of Metro Communiations, said he plans on using Harris’ call for future trainings because of his calm nature and technique in coaching Dallas through the initial stages of the birth.
“It’s a very rare call,” he said.
But he felt prepared.
“We do a lot of training,” he said.
Ford said this was easily the most amazing and the scariest thing she’s done in her eight years in law enforcement.
“I thought, ’Delivering a baby? That’ll never happen,’” she said. “I started shaking after.”
She called the next day to check in on the family. She and Harris got to meet Pippon at the awards ceremony at the Law Enforcement Center Jan. 30.
“We’re so thankful for their help,” Dallas Schneiderman said, standing next to Janna and a content Pippon.
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Information from: Argus Leader, https://www.argusleader.com
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