MOUNT GILEAD — It wasn’t a typical early summer morning in Brooke and Sunney Murphy’s home a few miles north of the village.
Brooke, who was 38 weeks pregnant, woke up around 4:15 a.m.
“I felt like I had to go to the bathroom. I wasn’t feeling normal, so I laid back down. Then it was ‘bam, bam, bam.’ I starting having contractions … one after another after another.”
Sunney, who had just gotten home from fishing, had planned to take his wife to the hospital to give birth. Plans changed quickly on Saturday, June 22.
“I never had a home birth before so we were both kind of scared,” Brooke recalled.
He called 911 while she sat on the couch waiting for her sister, Alisa Smith, to arrive. Her water broke in the living room with her sister and two paramedics and their captain Mike Carey en route.
Emergency dispatchers on the phone were Sarah Gombert and Corey Schalip.
“I had an hour left on my shift. He called and said his wife was in labor. I was excited … and a little nervous. It definitely was a cool feeling,” Gombert said.
Gombert, who has been dispatching less than 2 years, remained on the phone until the crew arrived.
“I was like, ‘This is happening now,’” Brooke said she told emergency medical technicians Nathan Matney and Zach Myers upon their arrival.
She credits the pair with their assistance that memorable morning.
“They listened to what the dispatcher told them. They got towels and got things prepped,” Brooke said. “I was very panicked. It felt like it could be any second. But a couple pushes and the baby came.
Nathan cut the cord and both mother and baby were fine.
“The pain wasn’t terrible. I think I was more in shock so it kind of masked the pain.”
Levi was born at 5:06 a.m., weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces; measuring 20.5 inches long.
“He’s healthy and he’s wonderful,” Brooke said.
“Thank God they knew what they were doing. I knew the baby was coming. It all happened really quick. Honestly, it was kind of blurry.”
Three of her other children — Sunney, 9; Makenna, 5; and Marissa, 2 — were unaware what had happened.
“They slept through the entire thing. The fan and air conditioner were on. I think they were very surprised.”
They all went to Marion General Hospital so the doctors could check on Levi and his new mom.
“Everything was perfect. I couldn’t have asked for better people to walk through my door that day. They were young looking, but they were amazing.”
Murphy has brought Levi to the station to visit a couple of times.
“He’s a cute little guy and he smiles a lot when he’s here,” Gombert said.
There was no consensus on which member of the family he looks most like. He acts like dad, the other children say.
“He’s mellow and happy,” Brooke said. “Unless he’s hungry.”
