A Midnight Emergency on Lowell Street
“I was ready to exit the house, and I felt a lot of pressure, and I understood that this is it,” Tatiana Topala told the officers during the meeting, as reported by Boston 25 News.
Topala and her husband, Denis Gotonoaga, reunited Thursday with the Wilmington police officers who assisted in the emergency delivery of their son, Oliver, last week. The birth occurred in the early hours of Wednesday at the family’s Lowell Street townhome. Topala had begun experiencing contractions the day before her due date. While preparing to head to the hospital, the couple also worked to ready their toddler, Thomas. “Things were going so fast,” Gotonoaga said.
Topala woke to contractions just before 2 a.m. and attempted to negotiate the three-story building. By the time she reached the first floor, the delivery was imminent. Her husband dialed 911.
Seconds to Spare
Officer Jack Rooney, a five-month veteran of the Wilmington Police Department, was working a detail nearby. He arrived within seconds, finding Topala in the bathroom with the baby already crowning. “I was the first one there; I was doing traffic right down the street, so I showed up almost immediately,” Rooney said.
“When I got there, I was trying to remember exactly what I got trained for, because we spent, like, maybe 10 minutes at the academy going over it, and I was like, ‘Oh, that will never happen to me,’” Rooney told WHDH.
Following Rooney’s instructions, Topala lay on the bathroom floor. The delivery was completed in under five minutes. “Once the baby started crying the paramedics showed up and then shoulders kind of popped out and he kind of flew out from there,” Rooney added.
Managing a Critical Complication
Officer Kyle Collins arrived shortly after to assist. As the infant’s head emerged, Rooney noticed the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck. The delivery concluded safely, and paramedics arrived to take over care.
For both officers, this was their first time delivering a baby. Rooney noted it was also his first time holding a newborn. Collins, who supported Topala by holding her hand, maintained a steady demeanor throughout the ordeal. “I felt like our crew was calm the whole situation and we helped deliver the healthy baby,” Collins said.
Reflections on a New Beginning
“I felt secured, safe, so I’m really grateful that the police officers came, they were right around the corner, that this happened the way that it happened,” Topala said. “There’s a first time for everything, you know.”
The family intends to mark the story of Oliver’s birth every year on his birthday. Looking ahead, Gotonoaga said that if the couple has a third child, he plans to seek formal training in baby delivery as a precaution. Such emergency roadside or residential births remain rare occurrences for local patrol officers.
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