Cool-headed trooper delivers newborn son at home

Sgt. Nicholas Hicks, Troop C, 3rd Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., 3rd BCT, 25th ID, is pictured with his wife, Rachel, and their newborn son, Naeshun. Hicks delivered his son at home, Jan. 29.

Story and photo by Sgt. Brian Erickson
3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs,
25th Infantry Division

What started out as a normal sleepless night for a couple expecting a child quickly turned into a day that won’t be forgotten by the family.

On Jan. 29, Sgt. Nicholas Hicks, assigned to Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 4th Calvary Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, delivered his own son during an in-home childbirth.

The couple had been up since 3 a.m. when Hicks’ wife told him how she was feeling. Hicks said he then texted his squad leader, letting him know what was going on, and his squad leader instructed him to take his wife to the hospital.

Hicks got the car ready to go to the hospital, but as he returned to get his wife, he had no idea his life was about to change forever.

“When I got back from the car, I found her bracing herself up against the wall. She looked at me and said the baby is coming out,” he said.

At that moment he did the first thing that came to his mind: he placed a blanket on the floor and laid his wife down.

As soon as she lay down, she began to push, said Hicks. It was then he knew he needed to call the paramedics and get them on the way.

“By the time I got the paramedics on the phone, the baby was already crowning,” he said.

After Hicks informed the paramedics of the situation, they began walking him through the process of delivering a baby.

When it came time to cut the umbilical cord, the medic told Hicks to tie a shoestring around the cord. While looking for a shoestring, he finally heard the sirens getting close.

“When I heard the sirens, I went to the door, but nothing. Then, two minutes later, I went back again to find an MP coming to the door,” said Hicks.

The paramedics were right behind the MPs. They entered the home and tended to the baby immediately by clamping the umbilical cord. They then handed Hicks the clippers and had him cut his son’s umbilical cord.

Once they got to the hospital, the doctors congratulated Hicks on the job he did delivering his son.

Doctors declared the baby boy completely healthy, measuring him in at 5 pounds, 13.4 ounces and 19 inches long.

“Spending time with my family is amazing,” said Hicks. “It feels great to be a dad.”