Waterville patrolman delivers baby> Firefighter assists officer during birth

WATERVILLE — Patrolman Michael Grizkewitsch walked through the door of a third-floor apartment in Waterville Friday morning and came upon an astounding scene.

A woman in her mid-20s lay on a mattress on the living room floor, screaming and panting as she tried to deliver a baby. The infant’s head was halfway out the birth canal, its face turning blue from an inability to get sufficient oxygen.

The baby’s 22-year-old father, Eric Spiller, and the laboring woman’s mother stood by in a panic, unable to help.

The police officer, whose only training in the birth process was viewing an old Red Cross film, took charge. A day later he was getting praise from his supervisor and publicity in the media, plus thanks from the mother, Julie Clancy, for turning a potential tragedy into a joy-filled event.

Sgt. Joseph Shepherd said he had been with the department 17 years and never heard of a Waterville officer delivering a baby until Friday.

The baby, an 8-pound, 6-ounce girl named Ashley, was pronounced normal at the Thayer unit of MaineGeneral Hospital. The infant and her mother were released Saturday, less than 24 hours after the ordeal.

Clancy, who does not have a telephone, could not be reached Sunday.

Seconds after Grizkewitsch came upon the birth scene at 7:35 a.m., he said, instinct took over.

He talked to the mother in an effort to calm her down. “She was in a lot of pain and very tired and said she couldn’t push anymore,” Grizkewitsch said.

The patrolman got the woman to push enough so he could grab the baby under her shoulders.

“Then she just came out,” said Grizkewitsch, who has been a police officer for four years.

The joy of a birth was clouded by concern for the infant, whose face was mottled and turning black..

“At that point I thought the baby was deceased,” said Grizkewitsch.

Then fireman Mike Michaud came through the door.

“I said `Mike, help me.’ He suctioned the baby out. I was never so glad to see anyone in my life,” recalled Grizkewitsch.

The patrolman’s job was not done with the arrival of the ambulance crews. While some paramedics tended the mother, others decided to take the baby to the hospital right away.

“I drove the ambulance,” Grizkewitsch said.

He visited the baby Saturday shortly before she and her mother were released.

The father of a 21-month-old daughter, Grizkewitsch, who lives in Randolph, said he attended the birth of his own child. His wife refused medication for the labor, which took about six hours, but Grizkewitsch said he had to be given some medication because he almost fainted.

“My wife ribbed me about it last night,” the patrolman recalled Sunday.

Grizkewitsch “took a lot of ribbing” from fellow officers, Shepherd said. “But when he was needed, he was ready to do the job. He made the Police Department look good,” Shepherd said Sunday.