Pregnant woman went into labor at aquarium and called 911 for help— the dispatcher's 7-minute instruction saved 2 lives
Most people visit an aquarium expecting to see glowing tanks, colourful fish, and families having a fun time and checking out a vibrant display of aquatic life. But on an ordinary Wednesday afternoon at Springfield’s Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium, the vibe of the place turned into something very different. Amid the usual visitors and the vibrancy, a new life entered the world, not through the main gates or entry points, but from a restroom inside the building.
At around 3:30 p.m., Springfield Fire Department and Mercy EMTs received an unusual call: a woman was in active labor inside the aquarium, per Springfield News-Leader's report on Thursday, December 4, 2025. For the emergency team, what followed was promptness and the next plan of action. The call had reached Eli Snider, senior emergency medical dispatcher with Mercy. Someone with the mother dialed 911, and Snider immediately began guiding them through the delivery over the phone. The entire call lasted only about seven minutes.
Snider relied on the priority dispatch system ProQA, a tool designed to help dispatchers ask the right questions and offer proper, complete guidance during emergencies. It allows callers to help position the mother correctly, time contractions, and prepare for the baby’s arrival long before professionals reach the scene. "It can help really reassure the caller and the patient that there is someone there and they are listening and they're there to help them," Snider explained while speaking to Springfield News-Leader. "Because I think sometimes when people call 911, they think, you know, 'they just send the ambulance and don't do anything else.' But we're always there to help with any kind of situation like that."
For Snider, staying calm was essential. He had assisted with deliveries before during his time as a paramedic with Mercy prior to becoming a dispatcher in 2022. But this moment was different because there was no visual, no medical kit, and no direct access to the scene. Snider shared with Fox 2 Now that this was among the first births he handled over the phone.
"It's hard, you know, being on the other end of the phone instead of being the EMT or paramedic that's actually there and you have the visual,” he said. “You've got to rely on the people on the phone to be your visual and to be your hands.” By the time Springfield Fire Captain Sean Jackson and Ladder 9 arrived, the baby had already been born in the aquarium restroom. Jackson and his crew assessed both mother and child and ensured the baby’s airways were clear, cut the umbilical cord, and swaddled the newborn in a towel to keep it warm. Both appeared healthy, with no obvious complications.
According to the study titled "EMS Prehospital Deliveries," published in October 2023 in the National Library of Medicine, prehospital deliveries, often called unplanned out-of-hospital births, occur when labor progresses too quickly for a mother to reach medical care. These situations involve no preparation or access to equipment or practitioners, and carry increased risks for both mother and baby.
"I applaud the mom for, you know, handling that by herself," Jackson said. It’s safe to say the aquarium witnessed a one-of-a-kind moment in its history.