MONROE - Baby Brynlee Scace is doing well.
"She's a good eater," said her mother Jennifer Scace, Monroe, Tuesday.
Brynlee was born Dec. 9 during Green County's first major snow storm, but her mother took some unusual measures to get to the Monroe Clinic in time.
Babies don't care about the weather, or anything else, when it's time to be born. Jennifer awoke at about 2:45 a.m. Wednesday, at the height of the winter blizzard, with contractions coming six to seven minutes apart, which told her it was time to get ready.
Eric Scace, Brynlee's father, knew the driveway needed to be cleared of the heavy snow that fell throughout the night. But an hour later, he was still not finished.
Jennifer said she called the Monroe Police Department at about 3:45 a.m., at the insistence of her mother, who had spent the night in anticipation of the birth.
"I don't remember what I said," Jennifer said, with a laugh. "I had some pain."
A recording of the one-minute call to the police stated Jennifer wanted to know when the city snow plows would be clearing the road past her home on County K, on the far east side of town.
"I'm in labor needing to go to the hospital fairly soon, and I was wondering if you can tell me when the (snow) plow was coming through, or a number I can call, or do we have to try and make it through," she said, to the dispatcher.
Police dispatch said the plows were "out doing the best they can," and offered to send an ambulance.
Jennifer told him she did not need an ambulance, but wanted to be ready to leave as soon as the plows went past.
"It's not like it's a big emergency," she said, indicating she had about an hour before she needed to leave.
She also said they would be traveling in a four-wheel drive vehicle, which would have a better chance of making the trip than the ambulance.
"You should be able to make it with a four-wheel drive truck," dispatch said. Police officers were patrolling that night in four-wheel drive trucks.
By 4:30 a.m. Jennifer's contractions were four to five minutes apart, Eric Scace said, and he decided he had no more time to clear snow. He helped Jennifer and her mother into the truck.
But Eric said he accelerated the motor quickly to get out onto the snow-covered roadway, but he hit a patch of ice and slid into the ditch right outside the driveway.
He was so far down into the ditch, he couldn't get the truck to pull itself out.
Eric saw a Voegeli Landscaping company snow plow driven by Josh Faulker, a few blocks away, and a flagged it down.
"I ran up to see if they could pull me out, and they got stuck," he said.
Working with his snow blower and a shovel, Faulker and Eric managed to get the plow free.
By that time it was about 5:15 a.m., Jennifer had remained in the truck, and her contractions were coming two to three minutes apart.
With little time to waste, Faulker took Jennifer and her mother to the hospital, arriving at about 5:30 a.m.
Eric, meanwhile, waved down Steve McCloud with another snow plow pulling a trailer.
McCloud plowed a neighboring driveway to unhitch and park his trailer, and then pulled Eric's truck out.
Eric arrived at the hospital, a little more than a mile from his home, at about 6 a.m. - three hours after he started to clear his driveway.
With her father finally nearby, Brynlee was born at 8:43 a.m. Wednesday.
For people who find themselves in similar emergency medical situations, the Monroe Police Department highly recommends people accept the dispatch of an ambulance.
Emergency medical personnel are trained for those situations, even in dangerous weather, according to Police Chief Fred Kelley.
"They make the same provisions as we do to get there," he said. "Unfortunately, people are not always clear when they call. We could have talked to the city and sent a snow plow."
"I'm certainly glad it came out as it did (for the Scace family)," he added. "Thank goodness the Voegeli guy was there and helped."
Any type of emergency situation is best addressed by EMS staff, so ask for an ambulance to be sent, Kelley said. Especially in a pregnancy, complications can arise for the mother and child, he added.
"An ambulance doesn't cost as much as people think," he said. "Provisions can be made. The last thing people should worry about is how they will pay."
"She's a good eater," said her mother Jennifer Scace, Monroe, Tuesday.
Brynlee was born Dec. 9 during Green County's first major snow storm, but her mother took some unusual measures to get to the Monroe Clinic in time.
Babies don't care about the weather, or anything else, when it's time to be born. Jennifer awoke at about 2:45 a.m. Wednesday, at the height of the winter blizzard, with contractions coming six to seven minutes apart, which told her it was time to get ready.
Eric Scace, Brynlee's father, knew the driveway needed to be cleared of the heavy snow that fell throughout the night. But an hour later, he was still not finished.
Jennifer said she called the Monroe Police Department at about 3:45 a.m., at the insistence of her mother, who had spent the night in anticipation of the birth.
"I don't remember what I said," Jennifer said, with a laugh. "I had some pain."
A recording of the one-minute call to the police stated Jennifer wanted to know when the city snow plows would be clearing the road past her home on County K, on the far east side of town.
"I'm in labor needing to go to the hospital fairly soon, and I was wondering if you can tell me when the (snow) plow was coming through, or a number I can call, or do we have to try and make it through," she said, to the dispatcher.
Police dispatch said the plows were "out doing the best they can," and offered to send an ambulance.
Jennifer told him she did not need an ambulance, but wanted to be ready to leave as soon as the plows went past.
"It's not like it's a big emergency," she said, indicating she had about an hour before she needed to leave.
She also said they would be traveling in a four-wheel drive vehicle, which would have a better chance of making the trip than the ambulance.
"You should be able to make it with a four-wheel drive truck," dispatch said. Police officers were patrolling that night in four-wheel drive trucks.
By 4:30 a.m. Jennifer's contractions were four to five minutes apart, Eric Scace said, and he decided he had no more time to clear snow. He helped Jennifer and her mother into the truck.
But Eric said he accelerated the motor quickly to get out onto the snow-covered roadway, but he hit a patch of ice and slid into the ditch right outside the driveway.
He was so far down into the ditch, he couldn't get the truck to pull itself out.
Eric saw a Voegeli Landscaping company snow plow driven by Josh Faulker, a few blocks away, and a flagged it down.
"I ran up to see if they could pull me out, and they got stuck," he said.
Working with his snow blower and a shovel, Faulker and Eric managed to get the plow free.
By that time it was about 5:15 a.m., Jennifer had remained in the truck, and her contractions were coming two to three minutes apart.
With little time to waste, Faulker took Jennifer and her mother to the hospital, arriving at about 5:30 a.m.
Eric, meanwhile, waved down Steve McCloud with another snow plow pulling a trailer.
McCloud plowed a neighboring driveway to unhitch and park his trailer, and then pulled Eric's truck out.
Eric arrived at the hospital, a little more than a mile from his home, at about 6 a.m. - three hours after he started to clear his driveway.
With her father finally nearby, Brynlee was born at 8:43 a.m. Wednesday.
For people who find themselves in similar emergency medical situations, the Monroe Police Department highly recommends people accept the dispatch of an ambulance.
Emergency medical personnel are trained for those situations, even in dangerous weather, according to Police Chief Fred Kelley.
"They make the same provisions as we do to get there," he said. "Unfortunately, people are not always clear when they call. We could have talked to the city and sent a snow plow."
"I'm certainly glad it came out as it did (for the Scace family)," he added. "Thank goodness the Voegeli guy was there and helped."
Any type of emergency situation is best addressed by EMS staff, so ask for an ambulance to be sent, Kelley said. Especially in a pregnancy, complications can arise for the mother and child, he added.
"An ambulance doesn't cost as much as people think," he said. "Provisions can be made. The last thing people should worry about is how they will pay."