Blizzard baby

Baby deliveries in the middle of snowy nights becoming old hat for Fairfax family

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

FAIRFAX -- Baby deliveries in the middle of snowy, December nights are becoming old hat for Seth and Rhuamy Grunke.

No problem.

The third time was a charm when eight-pound, 10 3/4 ounce Lawrence Grunke decided to make his world debut at 3 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 23.

The bouncing baby boy came into the world in the back of the Fairfax Rescue Squad ambulance van, near Fort Ridgely State Park, en route to New Ulm Medical Center Hospital in the middle of the cold, wind and snow.

The situation was nothing new to the Grunkes. Their other two children, Shane, 2 and Leah, 5 were also born in December when the weather was less than ideal. Leah Grunke was born Dec. 1, 1996. Shane Grunke was born Dec. 22, 1999. Both were born at New Ulm Medical Center Hospital.

Rhuamy laughs when she talked about the advice she got from her doctor in New Ulm.

"He said we should pitch a tent in the hospital parking lot," she said.

Last Sunday morning's storm was a rather dramatic at first for the Grunkes.

She had very little labor, but at about 2 a.m., she knew he was close to delivery. They got into the van but turned around twice after deciding to drive to the New Ulm Medical Center in the middle of the blowing snow and cold.

"I was afraid we'd go in the ditch," Rhuamy said. "We never got out of town ourselves."

They called 911 and waited for the ambulance at the Fairfax Police Station. Her water sack broke while they waited for the ambulance.

Fairfax Rescue squad members scrambled uptown to the ambulance. They were relieved to find Dr. Thomas Gilles at home as the calls were made.

"I told them to stop by my house on their way out of town," said Gilles. "I checked her right away and she was fine."

Seth followed the ambulance in his van. The trip took about 45 minutes at about 40 mph.

The baby was about to be delivered as the ambulance approached the Minnesota River valley hill, next to Fort Ridgely State Park.

"I told the ambulance driver to slow down and not make any sudden turns," Gilles said. "She delivered very nicely. I turned the baby over to her. One of the rescue squad guys clamped the cord and she cut it. We called the emergency room at New Ulm and they were ready for us when we got there."

Meanwhile, Seth had no idea the baby had been delivered en route to New Ulm. He didn't find that out until he got to the hospital.

"Thank God for the ambulance. Otherwise, I'd have been delivering the baby," Seth said. "That would have been crazy. Thank God everything turned out O.K. It could have been rough."

It had been several years since Dr. Gilles last delivered a baby. It is one of the things he cherishes most during his 33 years of service in Fairfax.

"He (Dr. Gilles) smiled from ear to ear when I saw him at the hospital," Seth Grunke said

"It's something I'll never forget," Gilles said with a smile. "It's fun to look back."

Gilles recalled some of his earlier winter baby deliveries.

Years ago, he once followed a snow plow to a patient's farm house north of Franklin in the middle of a blizzard only to find nobody at home. The woman was taken to the Franklin nursing home to deliver the baby, but she had false labor.

Meanwhile, another one of his expectant Fairfax patients was having false labor at the same time.

Gilles was once called to an expectant patient in a farm house near Stewart. He later learned that the only telephone in the house was downstairs while the expectant mother was upstairs.

The situation caused the husband to go up and down his stairs often while the woman was in labor and delivered at home.

"That storm was so bad, there was no way to get her out of the house, so I assisted the husband in delivering the baby," Gilles said.