'A rare event for us,' Georgetown firefighters reunite with mother who delivered baby unexpectedly at home
GEORGETOWN - There was a happy reunion Sunday at the fire department in Georgetown.
Three weeks ago, Alyssa Costa went into labor at her home and wasn't going to make it to the hospital in time.
"She screamed, call 911 the baby's coming," her husband Derek Maribito told reporters Sunday. "The head was out and they showed up really quick."
"They" were the firefighters who jumped into an ambulance and responded in a big way, helping Costa deliver her healthy baby girl Olivia safely in the bathroom in about 8 minutes.
Maribito said their help was huge because "I didn't know what I was doing."
Dispatcher Kim Kowalick was on the phone with him the entire time and said he was actually very calm.
"I could hear (Alyssa) in the background, so I could hear how things escalated, but, as soon as it did, the officers and first responders, they were already there," Kowalick said.
"I couldn't have been more lucky to have them there at the moment that they came," Costa said, adding that it was nerve-wracking, but that she had a "sense of peace."
However, the umbilical cord was partially wrapped around Olivia's neck so they had to cut it right away.
"If they weren't there, I don't know how Derek would have handled that," Costa said. "I'm so thankful. "Thank you doesn't even sum it up."
"It could have been a completely different outcome if they weren't there," she added. Mother and baby were taken to Beverly Hospital afterwards as a precaution. Olivia weighed in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces.
Her big sister was upstairs sleeping during the entire delivery, which happened around 6 a.m.
"The mother's the real hero in this thing. She did all the work," Georgetown firefighter Ron Agrella, a member of the team that responded, told reporters.
They all reunited Sunday at the fire station.
"It's incredible. I think collectively we were all wondering how she was doing. It's very special," Argella said. "Olivia will always have a special place in our hearts here at the Georgetown Fire Department."
It was the first time the department has had to deliver a baby in 30 years.
"It's a rare event for us and it's really exciting," said Acting Fire Chief Chuck Savage.
Everyone on the team got a stork pin and Olivia and her sister got replica fire helmets to commemorate the occasion Sunday.
Costa said the department will be on her family's Christmas card list.
"We love this town!" she said.
