MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — A Marlborough dad is saying thank you to the police, fire and dispatch who helped him in the moments after his wife went into labor – and they had to help him deliver his own son.
Born unexpectedly at just 26 weeks, he says it’s a miracle the baby survived.
“My wife, she is a warrior,” Junior DaSilva said.
He wasn’t expecting to meet his son Saturday night. It was too early. His wife Nayara was just over six months pregnant. So when she went into labor in the early hours of the morning, it caught everyone off guard.
“There's no time for clothes, there's no time for emergency room, nothing," DSilva said.
Junior called 911. He knows just about everyone at the Marlborough Police Department because he teaches martial arts to law enforcement.%
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When dispatcher Nick Evangelous picked up, he instantly recognized his friend's voice.
“I say, ‘you got to save my son, you got to save my baby,’” DaSilva told FOX25.
Junior says his son arrived so quickly, he caught the baby with his bare hands. But the baby was blue and seemed lifeless.
He used a piece of our gear to demonstrate just how small the
“That's about this long,” he said, using a piece of our gear to demonstrate just how small the 2-pound-12-ounce baby was. “That's his body and that's his head. So I grab him, and I didn't know what to do. I completely froze. So Nick was on the phone and he says, ‘just do what I say.’ He says roll him on his side and rub his back.”
It was a victory.
“I feel like I won the lottery,” DaSilva said.
Little Jonah was rushed to the hospital for specialized care. His information card is now a treasured family heirloom.
“On the bottom, it says ‘delivered by: dad’ that made me feel so good,” said DaSilva.%
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But DaSilva knows he couldn't have done it without help.
“I lift my head, I thank god for everything. And then I thank the whole crew for everything,” he said.
Mom is now out of the hospital, but Jonah will remain through the holidays.
“If everything works out, by January I'll be taking my son to the fire department and to the police department to shake everyone's hand to say thank you,” DaSilva said.
Baby Jonah was taken off oxygen Monday. DaSilva says his wife is completely in love and already wants another child.
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