# Officer delivers wife's baby at home



## stm4710 (Jul 6, 2004)

Officer delivers wife's baby at home 
By Chris Bernard and Andrew Hickey 
Staff writers 


BEVERLY — Apparently, Tatum Eileen Panjwani just got tired of waiting.

The healthy 7-pound, 13-ounce baby girl came a day early — or maybe a few hours late. 

Her parents, Marc and Rebecca Panjwani, had spent most of Thursday morning at Beverly Hospital's birth center. They left early afternoon, because there was no baby in sight.

"I was tired and hungry, and I wanted to go home," Rebecca said.

The Panjwanis returned to their Beverly home, where Rebecca had lunch and took a short nap.

"And then I woke up, stood up and had a baby," she said. 

And her husband?

"I just basically caught it," he said.

Lucky for Tatum, Marc is a Beverly police officer who has helped deliver "one or two other babies" in the past.

The 35-year-old has been with the police force for five years, where he's a patrolman and a paramedic instructor, said Lt. Tim Hegarty. 

"He's the guy to be there if someone is having a baby," Hegarty said.

Yesterday morning, the Panjwanis and Rebecca's mother, Linda Niece, fawned over Tatum in a Beverly Hospital room. Mother and daughter were healthy and happy as the family recounted the details of Thursday's birth.

Niece had come from California to be around when the baby was born.

"Oh, she was there," Rebecca said. "She was running back and forth, helping."

The Panjwanis' other two children, Savannah, 4, and Harrison, 2, also were there, excited at the arrival of their new sister. 

"I just didn't want it to hurt Mommy," Savannah said.

Niece called 911 shortly before 3 p.m. Police, firetrucks and ambulances responded to their home, delighting Harrison.

But by the time rescue crews arrived, the pressure was off. Tatum had been born, and Marc already had cut the umbilical cord.

"I was pretty confident in him, I guess," Niece said. "You get kind of rattled, but it was fine. He did great."

In the moments before the delivery, Marc said, there was some debate about whether or not to rush his wife to the hospital — until he looked at her.

"Then I knew," he said. "We were in the bathroom, of all places. Not a lot of room to work, but it was just the two of us."

"Just the three of us," Rebecca said, correcting him gently.

"Right," he said, smiling. "Three of us."


----------



## reno911_2004 (May 13, 2004)

:t: I hope I never have the pleasure!


----------

