Parents share details of unexpected home birth

Danielle Johnson and Rob Jackson of Grand Portage expected to bring their new baby home in a week. On Nov. 11, Danielle spent the day getting the baby’s room ready for the impending delivery. However, their baby boy, Atticus, had other ideas.  
 

On Nov. 12 at approximately 1:40 a.m., the Cook County Sheriff’s Office received a call that a woman was in labor and birth was imminent.
 

That caller was Jackson, who told Cook County Dispatcher Darcy Ziller that the baby was not going to wait for the ambulance or hospital. 
 

Ziller handled the call with all the professionalism of a seasoned dispatcher. Simultaneously paging out the ambulance and other first responders, Ziller stayed on the line with Jackson, delivering instructions as the delivery progressed.
 

At 1:52 a.m., Atticus made his entry into the world, at 6 pounds 8 ½ ounces and 18.6 inches long. 
 

The ambulance arrived at the residence shortly after Johnson and her newborn were transported to North Shore Health. 
 

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence visited with mom, dad, and baby Atticus at North Shore Health. Here is their story...