First-time 911 dispatcher helped woman give birth over the phone

ST. LOUIS (KMOV/Gray News) – A first-time emergency dispatcher is being honored for helping a woman give birth to her baby safely at home.

Ashley Purcell was just weeks into her training program when she received a call early one morning in September.

“That was literally the first call I answered,” she said. “I just sat down, I just logged in.”

Alexius McFerrin and her boyfriend called 911 from their apartment.

“I woke up around 2 a.m. with some contractions, but they were pretty mild, so I didn’t think much of it,” McFerrin said. “I was scheduled to be called in later that day, so I wasn’t too worried.”

McFerrin said the contractions quickly became stronger and her boyfriend suggested they call 911.

“He actually asked me to call 911, but I told him I was fine,” she said. “But then I thought, ‘I don’t know if we’ll make it to the hospital.’

Purcell said amid the chaos and screams on the other end of the phone, she quickly realized what was happening.

“He told me, ‘My wife is having a baby,'” Purcell said. “I thought, ‘I have to ask, do you see any part of the baby?’ And he said, “Yes, the head is coming out,” and I said, “Okay, now we’re going to have the baby.”

Back at the apartment, McFerrin said her water broke as she walked down the stairs into the living room. She slowly walked towards the living room.

“He kind of walked away and I was like, ‘You’ve got to catch her!’ – she said. “He was like, ‘I came out because you were screaming and I couldn’t hear the dispatcher on the phone,’ and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I think he was a little scared.”

Minutes later, McFerrin gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Mila. Purcell continued her training and education while helping McFerrin’s boyfriend until emergency crews arrived.

“We heard the baby’s first cry over the phone, and it was really cool,” Purcell said.

Emergency crews took the mother and child to the hospital for examination. The next day they returned home. Mila is McFerrin’s third child.

“That was the first call I got where I just went into autopilot and knew what to do,” Purcell said. “I’m a mother and I had an unmedicated birth, so I know what she’s going through and I wanted to help them both as much as I could.”

She received an award and the coveted stork pin, which is given to dispatchers who help deliver babies. McFerrin said she didn’t know Purcell had only been on the job a few weeks and was grateful for her help during a traumatic situation.

“I’m so glad she was able to experience this with us,” she said. “It feels like she should have been the one answering the phone that day.”

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