‘A fun surprise’: Dispatcher helps couple deliver baby on E-470 roadside

DENVER (KDVR) — A couple, with their two sons in the back of the car, was heading southbound on E-470 to a hospital when their unborn baby decided: “It’s go time.”

The couple, with guidance from an emergency dispatcher, were able to safely deliver the baby on the side of the road. South Metro Fire Rescue shared their story on social media , along with a recording of the 911 call.

Cole Kingsbury, the father, said he and his 39-weeks-pregnant wife Caitlin planned on delivering the baby in the hospital. But while they were in Windsor on Wednesday, Caitlin began experiencing regular contractions.

Cole said they got in the car as quickly as possible, but rush hour traffic made the normally hour-long commute take an hour and a half.

Caitlin was in labor while Cole was driving them to the hospital, and her water broke. Not knowing what to do, Cole called 911 and got help from South Metro Fire Rescue Dispatcher Connor Blinzler.

“We were so close to getting here, made it an hour and a half laboring in the car,” Caitlin said in the hospital post-delivery. “Six minutes away, we decided we couldn’t make it any further,” Cole said.

Dispatcher: ‘We just want to let it take its natural course’

Blinzler suggested that they pull over ahead of the exit to Parker Road and not try to prevent the birth. By the time Cole got out of the car and to the passenger side, he could see the baby’s head. Blinzler began walking him through the delivery.

“As the baby delivers, support the baby’s head and shoulders and hold its hips and legs firmly, and just remember the baby will be slippery so do not drop it,” Blinzler said in the 911 call recording.

Cole can be heard pleading for emergency responders to get there fast and said he didn’t hear the baby breathing.

“Keep the baby between the mother’s legs and level with the bottom,” Blinzler said in the call. Cole did so, and the baby began crying.

“There’s a bunch of different things for different scenarios but pretty much we don’t want to prevent the birth, we don’t want to try to stop it, we just want to let it take its natural course,” Blinzler said in an interview after the call. “You could hear it start crying and the sigh of relief from both mom and dad.”

Cole said the baby, Cale, was completely delivered on the second push at 5:50 p.m. Cole ran to the back of the car and grabbed pillowcases to wrap the baby while they waited for medics to arrive.

“I know this is not what you had planned or ideal, but we got through it, and the crews are going to take good care of you,” Blintzler said on the call.

“It was a fun surprise but I’m just thankful that everybody’s healthy,” Caitlin said in an interview at the hospital.

Cole and Caitlin are big sports fans and named the baby boy Cale after Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche .

Cale is healthy, weighing 8.1 pounds and measuring 20 inches long. South Metro Fire Rescue said Caitlin is doing well, too.

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