DESOTO COUNTY, Miss. — 9-1-1 emergency dispatchers need to be ready for just about anything. That was the case for one dispatcher in North Mississippi.
Now, two DeSoto county women are now bonded over a recent call from one panicked husband.
“DeSoto County 911, what is your emergency? My wife’s in labor, her water just broke!”
It was a call that would change the lives of both parties, DeSoto County Dispatcher Heather Holden picked up the phone and on the other end was a very pregnant Becca Nevill and her husband, just moments away from a surprising team effort.
“It was the easiest, fastest thing in the world,” Nevill said.
Holden has worked as a dispatcher in DeSoto County for over 20 years. When she picked up a 9-1-1 call back in November, she quickly realized there wasn’t time to wait for an emergency crew to arrive.
“Get her where he could grab the towels and when the baby was there, get ready to do what he needed to do,” Holden said. “I was nervous! But I knew I needed to help them get through it.”
Nevill said she could tell the dispatcher knew what she was doing.
In just a few quick minutes, Heather talked Becca’s husband through the birthing process, helping to deliver beautiful Mason into the world, happy and healthy.
“When I heard the baby cry, that was it,” Holden said.
The two women finally met this week, now that Mason is a couple of months old. They exchanged hugs and cried together, after an experience that no one involved will ever forget.
“For me, giving birth at home and having someone else explain how to do it for my husband is hilarious,” Nevill said.
Holden added, “Did it ever really cross my mind that I would be able to deliver one over the phone in here and hear the baby cry? Mm, not really!”
As for baby Mason, he is now 11 weeks old, and his parents describe him as a very happy and laid-back baby.
