OGUNQUIT, Maine — The town had its own real-life version of the film “Three Men and a Baby” on Sunday, July 10, when a trio of local firefighters helped a mom give birth in her own backyard.
For Elena Philippou, the day started like any other. She went to Mass in the morning. She went to the beach with her husband, Chris, and their daughters, Julia and Maria. They got burgers and fries at Charlie’s On the Beach. Sure, the baby she was carrying was two weeks overdue, but still: as Elena was making her way through the day, she was “definitely not in labor.”
Until about 3 that afternoon, that is. That’s when Elena experienced a contraction, one that was “medium-strong” enough that she felt she needed to head back to their home on Berwick Road, “just to wait it out, so we’re not surrounded by people, in case something happens.”
Smart move. Something happened.
When the Philippous arrived home — before they could get inside their house — Elena had another contraction. This one lasted around 40 seconds, prompting Elena and Chris to get out the timer.
“Contractions are supposed to be a minute long — strong enough that you can’t talk through them — and happen every five minutes,” Elena said.
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Two contractions later, Elena decided it was time to call the doctor. The nurse on the line helped Elena stay calm, assuring her that the blood she was letting was normal. When Chris was asked if there was anything else that he could see, his answer changed everything.
“Yeah,” he replied. “I see a baby.”
Enter those three local firefighters, Capts. Bob Bernard and Scott Cryer and paramedic Scott Bourque. Once the Philippous called 9-1-1, they were in the family’s backyard in about three minutes.
And the baby? Jamie Stephen Philippou was born mere minutes later. He came into the world at 7 pounds, 10 inches, a weight Elena will always remember because the numbers match the month and day on which her third child was born. Jamie was also a healthy 21 inches long — which is no surprise, when you see how tall his dad is.
Only two hours had passed from that first contraction that prompted Elena to return home and Jamie’s debut in the world. He was born at 4:57 p.m. It all happened so fast that Elena said she did not even realize that she had given birth. The first thing she remembers asking the firefighters is, “Did I have the baby?”
The Philippous shared their story on Monday, July 18, during a visit to the Ogunquit Fire Station, where they were reunited with Cryer, Bernard and Bourque. They presented the firefighters with a poster they made that expressed their appreciation.
The experience of giving birth at home – actually, her parents’ home – was “frightening,” Elena said, but only up to a point. The two Scotts and Bob had quickly put Elena and Chris at ease.
“It was a very frightening experience, but I immediately felt very safe and comforted,” Elena said. “Everyone was just so incredible.”
Maria and Julia got to meet their new baby brother before the firefighters brought him and their mother and father to York Hospital, where Cryer, Bourque and Bernard got that round of applause. They had been playing elsewhere while everything was happening.
The Philippous arrived in Maine from New York City in March of 2020. You don’t need to be a recent history buff to figure out what brought them to Vacationland. Once the COVID-19 pandemic took hold that month, they left their apartment on 72nd Street and headed to Elena’s parents’ house here in Ogunquit.
Their plan was to stay in Maine for just two weeks – the amount of time, you may recall, that we were all told we needed to “flatten the curve.” Now it’s more than two years later, and they’re still in Maine, although with plans to move into a new home they bought in a suburb of New York City in August.
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The Philippous made strong connections during their two years here in Maine. Maria and Julia even attended Wells Elementary School. The Philippous became such a part of the community that they even added a native Mainer to their family.
Chris said he and his family are all “Mainers at heart,” but he called Jamie “a real Mainer.”
“He was born in the woods,” Elena said. “You can’t get more Maine that that.”
For Cryer, Bourque and Bernard, delivering a baby was a career first. While all three men were present for the births of their own children, they had never been called upon to actually deliver a baby as a firefighter.
“It was an awesome experience,” Cryer said. “I’m glad we were able to do it. They were phenomenal.”
Bourque agreed.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to have a positive outcome,” he said.
Bernard said he and his fellow first responders are trained in so many advance skills. Some of them you get to use on the job, he said, and some of them you do not. During his 37 years as a firefighter, delivering a baby fell into the latter category.
“This is the one skill – the one experience in my whole career – that I hadn’t had the opportunity to be a part of,” Bernard said. “It was a great experience. What’s nice is that the family was just so calm about it.”
Calm, yes. And grateful.
The situation in their backyard could have “gone sideways,” as Chris put it. Elena said the experience could have been “life-threatening” in so many ways. But Cryer, Bernard and Bourque were professional the whole way through, she said, making sure little Jamie could breathe, taking care of the umbilical cord, and getting everyone to the hospital, along with other tasks.
“They really did save our lives,” Elena said. “We’re eternally grateful.”