Christian Jones’ arrival came fast
Heather Wilson, left, interacts with her eight-week-old son, Christian Alexander Jones, who was born in the parking lot of Thoman’s IGA, 201 S. Detroit St., West Liberty. (EXAMINER PHOTO | JOEL E. MAST)
Christian Alexzander Jones was in a hurry to enter this world eight weeks ago.
He came four weeks early, gave his mom, Heather Wilson, little warning Aug. 6 and was in no mood to wait.
“I’d been to see Dr. (Nicholas) Morgan that day and everything was fine,” Wilson said. “I was 36 weeks pregnant. He felt it would be another week or so.”
She returned to her Urbana home and settled into her normal parental duties of caring for her three other children and her boyfriend Tim Jones’ two children.
It was as she readied herself for bed that Christian started making rumblings.
“I was feeling really full,” Wilson said, “and I laid down thinking it would help.”
Around 10 p.m., she started to have contractions, but she wasn’t too concerned. It was less than seven hours since the doctor’s appointment where everything appeared normal, so she thought it was harmless Braxton-Hicks pre-birth contractions until she realized the contractions were lasting 30 seconds and longer.
Wilson said her eldest son went full term, but her daughter was three weeks early and a second son was 31⁄2 weeks early.
She and her doctor were aware she could deliver early, but even as the contractions continued, she didn’t think it was time and didn’t want to disturb Jones as he slept.
Her attitude changed when she went to the restroom and her water broke.
She began yelling for Jones to get up and they scrambled to get themselves and their five children in the vehicle for a trip north to Mary Rutan Hospital.
After a short stop to drop off Jones’ children with his parents, they began heading up U.S. Route 68. The contractions were getting worse and Wilson told Jones to hurry.
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He was passing other traffic, including Chris Stafford, a parttime Basic EMT with Mac-O-Chee squad.
“To be honest, the Champaign County Fair was going on that week and I just thought it was a carload of kids being silly and driving way faster than they should,” he said.
He continued on and observed the car pulling into Thoman’s IGA, 201 S. Detroit St., West Liberty.
“I wondered if they were having problems with the car,” Stafford said.
He soon found out the reason for the hurried pull off.
Wilson said she was fighting back the urge to push as the family rushed north, but it become overwhelming. She had Jones call 911 and told him to pull over as their son was on the way.
After one push and as they came to a stop, she could see the top of Christian’s head.
Jones rushed to her side of the car and was soon joined by Stafford.
“I was just crossing the bridge when I got the page,” Stafford said. “I thought to myself, ‘That’s the reason.’
“I didn’t turn on my emergency lights nor even have the chance to announce myself. As I approached, Tim turned to me and said, ‘You got to help us. We’re having a baby.’
Read complete story in Saturday’s Examiner.
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