FORT COLLINS, Colo. — At just a week old, Addalyn Clarken already has quite the story to tell.
"Not to be graphic, but she was coming," her mother Jill Clarken said. "There was no waiting."
It was last Saturday when Jill and her husband John called 911 after realizing Addalyn was entering this world sooner than they expected, and they didn't have time to get to a hospital.
"There was a pretty urgent need to get some help because we weren't going anywhere," Jill said.
On the other line was Megan Biberos, a Fort Collins 911 dispatcher.
"I honestly didn't think we'd get all the way through [the delivery] because ... that doesn't usually happen," Biberos said.
In most cases, the fire department arrives in minutes and helps with the delivery. But the engine closest to the Clarkens was tied up, and Biberos had to step in and use her years of knowledge.
"I wasn't too nervous until [John] kind of was like, 'Oh, boy ... she's coming,'" Biberos said.
The couple credits Biberos' demeanor for getting them through the ordeal.
"It was just a very calming voice, which I think in turn … made me calm. I mean, if she would have been freaking out, I think I would have been freaking out," John said.
Biberos helped guide the two as Jill gave birth to baby Addalyn in a bathroom at her home and anxiously waited for her first breath.
"I think it was about 10 seconds [before] we could hear her crying, so I [knew] everything was okay," Biberos said.
Today, Jill, John, brother Jacob and baby Addy are all doing OK. They've learned life is unpredictable no matter how much planning you do.
"She's six pounds, two ounces, and she's 19 inches long. She's just a tiny, tiny, little thing with a full head of hair," Jill said.
And for the first time in Biberos' 10-year career with the city of Fort Collins, she got to meet the people on the other line.
"I'll remember her forever and ever and her name … and that call. It was really special. I'll remember it forever," Biberos said.
The Clarkens hope their story serves as a lesson to anyone expecting a child.
"There is no such thing as a plan," Jill said. "I mean, you have to be able to go with whatever is coming, even if it means you're having your baby at home."