#LawnBaby: Neighbor Comes to Rescue in Emergency Birth on Front Lawn

WHEATON, IL — The labor and delivery of a baby is one of life’s most precious and unexpected events.

For Melanie Kruchten, 33, of Wheaton, her experience birthing her third child is a story she will tell over and over again in the years to come. Lucy, who will be one month old on Monday, was born in the front lawn of the Kuchtens’ Wheaton home on Evergreen Drive at 12:19 p.m. on Aug. 19 — just 10 minutes after Melanie’s water broke.

She and her husband, Brian, 37, were headed to their car when Melanie realized it was time to have the baby … now.

“After I walked down the front step, I dropped to my hands and knees in the grass. And I told my husband to call 911,” Melanie said. She also told him to go get their neighbor, Odily De Souza. Odily is a labor and delivery nurse who thankfully works nights. She was sleeping at the time, and her mom answered the door.

“I was screaming to my husband to get back over to me. He did run back over to me and I screamed to Odily’s mom, ‘Wake her up,’” Melanie said.

Meanwhile, her husband was on the phone with 911 and the baby was on its way. Melanie put a call into her mom, who is also a nurse, and told her to come quick. The 57-second voice message she left for her mom captured the entirety of Lucy’s birth.

“My husband literally caught the baby,” Melanie said.

What happened next is likely the reason why Lucy is a healthy, happy 1-month-old baby girl — the outcome could have been very different — and Melanie says it’s all thanks to Odily.

A Connection Between Neighbors and a Bulb Syringe

Lucy was blue when she was born. Melanie did not know this — she couldn’t see Lucy at the time. Brian held the baby close.

“She was not really breathing well, and then there was no sound,” Melanie said. “Our incredible neighbor came running out. She grabbed the baby from my husband immediately."

The police, fire departments and first responders all arrived, but none of them had a birthing kit, which was what Lucy needed. The paramedics were last to arrive with the birthing kit.

“They were all there quick, but she (Lucy) was just quicker,” Melanie said. “She was ready to be born.”

Odily jumped into action — she knew she needed to suction fluid from Lucy’s lungs.

"Odily has a 5-month-old daughter, ran home and grabbed her bulb syringe and then ran back over and suctioned Lucy," Melanie said.

Another typical move after birth is to clamp the umbilical cord. The clamp wasn’t available, so Odily told Brian to give her a shoelace from his shoe. She tied the baby’s cord.

Odily also knew Melanie had a blood disorder that made it important that she get to the hospital. That fact was randomly brought up during a conversation between the two in recent months. They were hanging out together more because both of their sons, who are 5 years old, had started playing together.

“Because of that, she knew that I needed to be closely monitored because of my platelet disorder,” Melanie said. “She also knew that I should not deliver the placenta without my doctor.”

That neighborly connection helped things fall into place during their emergency lawn birth.

“We’ve been more chatty lately — we’d catch each other outside and talk,” Melanie said. “That’s how I found out earlier this summer that she was a labor and delivery nurse.”

'Overall, She Was Just Perfect'

Melanie and Lucy were taken to the hospital by ambulance after Lucy’s birth. Lucy got to lie on Melanie during the ambulance ride. Some blood tests were performed on Lucy, and all showed a healthy baby girl.

“Overall, she was just perfect,” Melanie said.

Melanie believes Lucy’s outcome could have been very different if Odily didn’t think to suction her lungs so quickly.

“Despite the chaotic circumstances, and the fact that we basically woke her from a dead sleep, she was so calm and thought on the spot to run and get her bulb syringe,” Melanie said. “(Lucy) had quite a bit of fluid in her lungs. She couldn’t get that first breath on her own.”

When Melanie, Brian and Lucy arrived at the hospital, Melanie’s doctor handed Brian a hat. Her doctor typically hands out hats to parents that read: "Another baby delivered by Dr. Mark Gapinski." He crossed out his name on the hat, and wrote “DAD.” He shook Brian’s hand and congratulated him on doing such a good job in a stressful situation.

“Then he said, ‘Gosh, the paperwork is going to be more difficult than the delivery,'” Melanie said.

#LawnBaby

Having a baby in your front lawn, or, as Melanie has coined it when posting about Lucy on Facebook, having a #LawnBaby, is, as you can imagine, quite rare. Lucy’s birth certificate originally stated she was born in the hospital. That was changed to an accidental birth at home.

“There was no option for ‘born in your front lawn,’” Melanie said.

On Monday, The Kuchten’s #LawnBaby will be one month old, and she is a happy and healthy little baby girl. In fact, Lucy, who has two older brothers, is all ready getting credit as their most laid-back child.

“She’s doing great. She’s the most relaxed of all our kids. She sleeps well, and she is very alert,” said Melanie about her three-week-old baby. "She has been really easy, so far, all-around”

Despite the scary circumstances, and the lack of privacy, when having a baby in your front lawn, Melanie said she is grateful for the extremely short labor and delivery. Due to her platelet disorder, she cannot get an epidural. She was in labor for 12.5 hours and pushed for four hours with her first son, Oliver, who is now 5 years old. And she was in labor for six hours and pushed for two hours with her son, Benjamin, who is 2 years old.

“They were much more difficult births,” Melanie said.

For that reason, leading up to Lucy’s birth, Melanie was very nervous about having a third baby without the hope of any pain medication. Melanie and Brian also have a a fourth child, their oldest daughter, Cassidy, 14, who Melanie has adopted. Melanie married Brian when Cassidy was a toddler.

“I think she (Lucy) kind of helped me,” Melanie said “The delivery went so quick that I didn’t even have the chance to really think about it.”

Melanie said the fact Lucy was a girl was another fun surprise for her and her husband since they have had two boys together. But unlike a hospital birth, when the sex is typically announced shortly after birth, they didn’t find out for 10 or so minutes.

“We didn’t think to ask right away because of everything that was happening,” Melanie said.

The name, Lucy, which hadn’t been on Brian or Melanie’s list of potential girl names, seemed appropriate.

“It means born in daylight,” Melanie said.

Now that the couple knows all is OK with their little one, they have been having fun.

“When I post a picture to Facebook, I include the hashtag, #LawnBaby,” Melanie said with a laugh.

Needless to say, Melanie’s lawn birth has become the talk of the neighborhood.

“Many people have heard about it. There is a local mom’s group on Facebook, and the word has also gotten out that way. People have messaged me, and there has just been a lot of love and encouragement,” Melanie said. “They all just love her story.”