Oh baby! Northwood officer delivers aid during childbirth emergency

        It was a familiar feeling and not exactly unexpected.
        When Sarah Mullholand felt the mild contractions on the night of Feb. 7, she figured she’d start setting her childbirth plan in motion.
        This wasn’t her first rodeo, so to speak. Her previous three babies came early, but not particularly fast. Her bag was packed. She texted her mom, who would be driving from Tiffin to Sarah’s Northwood home to watch the kids when she and their dad, Nathan Forsythe, went to the hospital.
        “I told her to start getting her stuff ready but that nothing serious is going on yet,” Sarah said.
        At 37 weeks, this pregnancy had lasted two weeks longer than her previous ones. Her other kids Isley, 4, Isiah, 2 and 1-year-old Isacc all came exactly one month before their due dates.
        “I figured I’d have some time before the contractions got really bad and I’d have to go to the hospital,” she said. “With Isacc, my contractions were way worse, and we drove all the way to Toledo from Oak Harbor, and we still had enough time.”
        Since the family moved in December, she figured the trip to the hospital would take even less time.
        Around midnight, her water broke, and she anticipated the contractions would intensify.
        “I guess I must have been handling the contractions pretty well, and before I knew it – in what felt like an instant, I felt like I needed to push,” she said.
        “And then the baby was coming; there was no stopping her,” she said.
        As she pushed, Sarah realized the baby was breech – coming out bottom first.
        “I told Nathan, ‘She’s coming,’” she said. “He told me to stop pushing, which I really couldn’t do.”
        By now, it was after 2 a.m. Nathan called 9-1-1, staying on the phone with the dispatcher, who was guiding him with how to help Sarah.
        With all the commotion, 4-year-old Isley awoke, wanting to check on her mom, who was lying in the bedroom.
        “In the midst of everything, I was trying to tell Isley I was OK and to go out with Daddy in the living room,” Sarah said. “I was on adrenaline, but I was very terrified.”
        “Nathan was doing his best, but it was a lot,” she added.
        Northwood Patrolman Skyler Lynn was the first emergency responder to arrive, heading straight to the bedroom where Sarah was lying on the bed.
        “When he came in, I said, “please help me!’” Sarah said. “I was pushing; I knew that I had to get the baby out fast; I was worried about her breathing.
        “He showed absolutely no fear – he even smiled – that really helped me calm down,” she said. “He just put his gloves on and said, ‘OK – it’s OK.’”
        Officer Lynn jumped in and held the baby girl’s body while Sarah continued to push.
        “Before I knew it, the firefighters and EMTs were there, and they started helping – at one point there were eight guys in the room.” Sarah said. “When the medics took over, I remember grabbing ahold of the officer and his jacket and he just stayed there and calmed me down the whole time.
        “And finally, she was here,” Sarah said. “It was amazing.”
        Sarah was exhausted and relieved to be able to hold her daughter, whom the couple named Isabella. “Her heart rate was fine, but she was having some trouble breathing, so they took her by ambulance to the Neonatal Intensive Care at ProMedica Toledo Hospital,” she said.
        A short time later, Sarah followed in another ambulance. Nathan joined them the next morning.
        Baby Isabella, who had a blood infection that required treatment, has remained in the NICU and is scheduled to go home Feb. 19.
        “She’s doing great,” Sarah said. “She eats more than my other kids… all of them put together. It astounds me.”
        As things calmed down, Sarah realized she didn’t get the name of the officer who helped her. Wanting to thank him, on Feb. 9, she posted on the Unofficial Northwood Ohio Community Facebook Page:
        “I don’t know what male cop of Northwood was on duty on 2-8-2022 at 2:29 a.m., but I am forever grateful for assistance on delivering my breech baby girl at our home! You came in unphased and with no fear on your face and it helped me through that difficult delivery. Also, a big thank you to all the EMTs and firefighters as well. I couldn't have done it without you guys and I forever grateful.”
        She was happy to learn the Patrolman Lynn’s name but hasn’t had a chance to speak with him yet.
        “I’d love to have a picture of him holding the baby that he helped bring into this world,” Sarah said. “If it hadn’t been for him and the rest of the squad, something worse could have happened…she could have been stuck in there longer.
        “We’re very thankful. He did such an amazing job; he deserves so much credit,” she said. “I’ll never forget it.”
        As for Patrolman Lynn, he says he was glad he was able to help and considers what he did part of the job.
        “I just happened to be a block away when the call came in that a female was in labor,” he said. “It took me maybe 30 seconds to get there.
        “I just heard it was a female in labor, and I figured I would show up and the medics would transport her, but by the time I actually got inside, and found her, the baby was already coming out,” he said.
        “I tend to be calm by nature, he said. “When I got into the room, I just tried to encourage her. It was a pretty stressful situation, and I didn’t want her to get more anxious. By the time the medics arrived, the baby’s head was almost out, and they accomplished that part of it.
        “We were joking that it would happen to the one guy on the shift who doesn’t have kids,” Patrolman Lynn said, adding that he’s expecting a child in the summer.
        “I guess maybe this prepped me a little bit,” he said.