Most days, Pepsi, but Friday, dad delivers son
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on August 30, 2007 1:45 PM
John Maddox spends each day delivering Pepsi products around Wayne County.
But that doesn't mean he was prepared Friday when his son, Christian Elijah, decided he could not wait for the hospital.
John delivered his new baby boy at home.
It was about 4 a.m. Friday. Tiffany Maddox had been having contractions off and on since early Thursday morning. That was her due date, so John called into work saying he was going to stay home with his wife and wait it out.
"The hospital told me that they wanted the contractions to be five minutes apart for an hour before I came in," Tiffany said. "They had been coming 10 minutes apart since 9:30 p.m. Thursday."
But the contractions went from 10 minutes apart to back-to-back shortly before 6 a.m. Friday. That's when Tiffany told her husband they needed to go to the hospital right away.
John was outside with the family dog. He took the dog inside and walked to the back of the house to wake his two girls, A'tiya, 10, and Alana, 6.
"Tiffany was in the hallway and said the baby's head had come out," John said. "I tried to go outside and get into the car, but Tiffany wouldn't come. She turned around and went into the bedroom and laid on the bed."
When John walked in, he saw his son was crowning -- and realized he wasn't going to be driving to the hospital. He was going to be delivering a baby.
"At first, I was like, 'I know I ain't seeing what I think I'm seeing,'" he said.
His training as a delivery driver for Pepsi Bottling Ventures didn't include instructions on delivering a baby. But that didn't stop John.
"His face was down, and I couldn't tell if he was breathing or not," John said. "Tiffany pushed, and he just came out."
John carefully unwrapped the umbilical cord from around his son's neck and body and wrapped the little boy in towels. That's when Christian began crying, and John knew he was all right.
While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, John called the labor and delivery department at Wayne Memorial Hospital.
They were shocked, he said.
"I told them Tiffany couldn't wait," John said. "The baby was already coming out while she was walking so we had to go ahead and do what we had to do."
When the ambulance did arrive, mother and son went off to the hospital.
And John got a passing grade from the medical staff.
"The doctor told me I did a good job," John said. "He said he really didn't have to do anything. He also told me I saved myself a lot of money."
After it was all over, John said the experience felt like something you see on TV, but never think will happen to you.
But then again, maybe he jinxed himself.
He said the night before the birth, his mother-in-law was trying to get Tiffany to go to the hospital early.
John said he shrugged her off.
"I told her 'No, I'm going to deliver him here at home.' She told me to stop playing," he said.
Both laughed when they remembered that little chat at the hospital Friday.
His entrance into the world is a story that John and Tiffany say they will one day tell Christian.
"I think it's wonderful," Tiffany said.
John said for this baby to be his son and his last child, the home delivery had special meaning.
"You know how people say they brought somebody into this world," he said. "I can say it and be real with it."