Two Rockville Centre parents help deliver a child on Hamilton Road

Vincent and Priscilla were on their way to the hospital to deliver their newborn son, when he started to come. Needing to act fast, Vincent pulled over his vehicle along Hamilton Road in Rockville Centre and called for emergency services to come help.

“I saw a man get out of an SUV across the street. He said he needed an ambulance,” Kristine DeStefano, a resident of Brevoort Place, told the Herald. “He said ‘I need an ambulance, but I don't know what town I’m in.’”

DeStefano was on her way to Valerie D’Agostino’s house on Hamilton Road to drop off her son at a birthday party, when she noticed the gentleman on the phone with a 9-1-1 dispatcher and walked over to help. It was then that she realized his wife was in labor and full crowning.

“I'm an oncology nurse by training,” DeStefano said. “I know what to do when someone's having a heart attack, not labor and delivery. But any medical training is better than none.”

DeStefano knew to ask if this was their first child. The couple said that it was not, and she knew right away that time was of the essence.

D’Agostino, a mom of three, said that she had never participated in a live birth before but noticed the baby was exiting very quickly and sprung into action to help.

“It was pretty remarkable,” D’Agostino said. “Her and I were so blessed to witness a live birth in a car right there in front of my house.”

She said that the birth went quickly and easily. When the baby came out, it had its umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, but they were able to unhook it quickly and safely.

“We were encouraging her and telling her she was doing a great job,” D’Agostino said. “She pushed and the baby’s shoulder popped out… and pretty quickly his whole body just emerged.”

D’Agostino said she began rubbing the baby’s back to make sure it was breathing properly, before giving him to his mother, who laid him on her chest.

It was then that emergency personnel with the Rockville Centre Fire Department arrived to find the mother already holding her newborn baby, Lucas.

“It was all about timing,” DeStefano said. “My husband was originally going to walk over (to D’Agostino’s house) by himself. If we had been off by a few seconds, they would’ve been on their own.”

The baby was born healthy and safe thanks to the help of these two Rockville Centre parents.

“The neighbors were all outside. Everyone was just so excited and happy,” D’Agostino said. “I was so blessed that Kristine was there. She was so level-headed.”

Emergency services helped Priscilla into the back of the ambulance with her newborn son in hand, as the neighbors outside watched and applauded.

D’Agostino said that following the event, she has been in touch with the parents who decided to name their son, Lucas Hamilton, after the block where he was born.