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Firefighters deliver infant who couldn't wait
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Photos by Eric Parsons / Star staff Clint Cummings, left, hands his newborn daughter Kaya, also pictured at top, to Ventura County Fire Department firefighter-paramedic Woody Harward at Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center on Wednesday.
Video: Baby makes an early arrival
When an Oak Park couple's baby decided to make an early arrival, firefighters and paramedics found themselves playing doctor in the front seat of a Nissan.
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From left, firefighter-paramedic Woody Harward, Capt. Derek VanCamp and American Medical Response EMT Mike Loverme admire newborn Kaya Cummings in the arms of her mother, Curran. Father, Clint, right, tends to their son, Calvin, 3.
NOT USED Eric Parsons / Star staff. Thousand Oaks 4/23/08. Newborn Kaya Cummings was delivered in the front seat of her parents' car at 1:45 a.m. on Tuesday at the hands of Ventura County Fire Department and American Medical Response emergency personnel.
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More from County NewsCurran and Clint Cummings of Moorpark thought their second child would be born much like their first — in a hospital, under a doctor's care.
Instead, Kaya Cummings was born Tuesday in the front seat of her parents' car with the help of Ventura County Fire Department personnel. The car was parked in front of the Oak Park home of Kaya's uncle and aunt, where her parents had stopped to drop off her 3-year-old brother, Calvin.
"The whole thing was pretty surreal and amazing. It was shocking," said Clint, 35, who teaches special education at Agoura High School. "If it wasn't for the paramedics and the Fire Department, who knows what would have happened."
Kaya weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces and measured 20 inches long when she was born, her parents said. She had a full head of hair and looked healthy when the firefighters and paramedics who helped deliver her visited the family Wednesday at Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Thousand Oaks.
Baby was overdue
Curran, 32, was lying on the front seat of their Nissan Xterra with her feet up on the dashboard when she gave birth to Kaya about 1:45 a.m. Tuesday, her husband said.
Curran was a couple of days overdue, but she and Clint thought they had plenty of time to get to the hospital, they said.
After her contractions started about 11 p.m. Monday, they packed up and headed toward Kaiser Permanente in Woodland Hills. They left their Moorpark home and drove toward Oak Park, where they planned to drop off Calvin with Clint's brother, Kyle Cummings, and sister-in-law, Cyndee.
They were passing Reyes Adobe Road, about three miles from their first destination, when Curran's water broke, she said.
She and Clint still thought they had time to get to the hospital, because when she gave birth to her son, she was in labor for 16 hours after her water broke.
But when they arrived at the Oak Park home, Curran's contractions were growing closer and more intense.
Call to 911 brings help
Cyndee, who is studying to be a nurse, convinced Clint there wasn't time to get to a hospital, and he needed to call 911, he said. Engine Company 36 arrived about five minutes later.
Curran asked firefighter-paramedic Woody Harward if he had ever delivered a baby before, Clint said. Harward said he had — several weeks earlier when he helped deliver his own child.
Within another five minutes, Kaya was born. "It all happened so fast," Curran said.
Medical personnel then let Clint lean over the driver's seat to cut his daughter's umbilical cord with medical scissors, Harward said.
As they held Kaya and posed for photos with the family Wednesday morning, the firefighters and paramedics looked almost as excited as her parents.
"It's amazing to watch every time; it doesn't matter whose it is," said paramedic Marino Ridino, who has three children of his own.
Firefighters and paramedics are trained to assist with childbirth, but they rarely have to. Each year, Ventura County Fire Department personnel assist with only two or three births, said Robin Shedlosky, the agency's clinical program coordinator.
Department dispatchers talk people through an average of two or three more births each year.
Those who help with a birth get a pin in the shape of a stork.
"It's kind of like a badge of honor," Shedlosky said.
Posted by cfrutos on April 24, 2008 at 8:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Don't you just love firefighters?
Posted by Kreemac70 on April 24, 2008 at 9:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Great story! Welcome to the world Kaya!
Posted by hotwildflower on April 24, 2008 at 9:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I have my own two kids and I am just thinking that car is going to need a serious cleaning...
great news that she is a healthy baby...God Bless.
Posted by BeaHappi on April 24, 2008 at 9:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Very cool! Kaya already has a great story to tell. Welcome to the world little angel.
Posted by BeaHappi on April 24, 2008 at 10:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
hotwildflower...ha ha ha!! No doubt right? That is very funny!
Posted by AnnaWhaat on April 24, 2008 at 12:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow! What an amazing story. A BIG Thankyou to the firefighters who helped deliver this little Angel.
She is just beautiful!!!!!! GOD BLESS!!!!
To the Cummings Family, Enjoy your knew addition!!!!
Posted by lil_leopard_grl_69 on April 24, 2008 at 12:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
hearing stories like this one makes me so grateful for people like firfighters. I admire people like them that find JOy in helping others. I am expecting my second child right now and my biggest fear is not making it to the hospital in time. After all they say your second delivery tends to be quicker. I just pray that if I don't make it to the hospital, I will have great men like this to help me through it. God bless you all. Welcome to the world baby kaya
Posted by clementine on April 24, 2008 at 1:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wouldn't that make an interesting commercial for Nissan? A great car with plenty of legroom!!!
Posted by AnnaWhaat on April 24, 2008 at 3:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I would love to deliver a baby !!!!!! I would stop and help anyone in labor! Life is the most prescious thing in the world........
Posted by bowyerfan on April 24, 2008 at 4:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Congratulations! Amazing story! I went to school w/ Curran. It's great to see she's doing well. Welcome to the world, sweet Kaya. BTW, great name (it's my daughter's as well).
Posted by keepin_it_real on April 24, 2008 at 7:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What a wonderful story! Congradulations. Wow, that will be a story to tell for many years to come. Firefighters, job well done.
Right on clementine!!! love your comment...very funny!!!!!
Posted by whatever on April 25, 2008 at 4:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wonderful story.
Posted by rollingcode on April 26, 2008 at 12:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You should have mentioned AMR also. They were there you know
Posted by onapproach on April 26, 2008 at 10:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"If it wasn't for the paramedics and the Fire Department, who knows what would have happened."
I'm guessing the baby would have been born the same. LOL
Posted by skywalker101 on April 28, 2008 at 4:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Amazing story thank you Firefighters and paramedics.
Esther-The Netherlands
Posted by DoctorDude on April 28, 2008 at 10:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
so they caught the kid as he came out, checked the airway and rapped him up in a blanky? What's all the fuss? Yeah yeah I know the firefighters are todays gladiators. Nice catch boys!
Posted by graceka on April 29, 2008 at 10:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
what kind of name is Curran??? lol
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