NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — At 9:46 a.m. Friday morning a baby girl was born just outside of a Pasco County Walgreens, according to Pasco County Fire Rescue.
The 28-year-old mother's boyfriend called 911 while on the way to the hospital. He was instructed by the 911 dispatcher to safely pull over. The mother gave birth within about 5 minutes of the start of the 911 call.
"You never know what you're going to get when you answer," Caitlin Smoak said.
Smoak has been a Pasco County 911 dispatcher since May. She told the caller exactly what to do to keep him calm and to help deliver the baby. She said her training kicked in immediately.
"He was a lot calmer than I probably would have been in that situation," Smoak said.
Smoak is nine months pregnant. On the call, she explained how to tie off the umbilical cord and what to do until fire rescue got there. She praised the caller for everything he did to deliver the baby this morning.
"A lot of times they're really stressed out and freaking out so they aren't answering your questions well, but he did a pretty good job," Smoak said.
Pasco County Fire Rescue tells us the unidentified woman and her baby are both in good health after being taken to the hospital.
