911 dispatcher honored for helping Aurora mom deliver baby at home

LISLE, Ill. - They are often the unsung heroes of first responders, but Wednesday night in Lisle, 911 dispatchers were honored at the DuPage County Valor Awards.

Among them was Jessenia Bahena, a dispatcher at the Aurora 911 Center, who got an unusual call at 1:45 a.m. on July 15 from a mother in active labor.

Aurora resident Angela Morgan started having contractions and began making her way to the car to go the hospital, but the baby had other ideas.

"I tried to make it to the van. The baby said, 'I don't think so,' so we had to call 911 because she came out at home," Morgan said.

Her newborn daughter, Jayesa Martinez, who is three-months-old now, was in quite the hurry to meet her parents, and mom and dad credit Bahena with guiding them to a safe conclusion.

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"She was stoic, she was calm," said Liz Robinson, Commander of Support Services for the Aurora Police Department. "The baby came out healthy. She told her exactly what to do. She knew what to do step-by-step, and we had a happy ending, so that's all we look for."

"She was so calm. She was so comforting. She did so well at giving instruction. And that's what they're trained to do," said Jacqueline Hobday, director of the Aurora 911 Center.

"She was an amazing coach," said the father, Jose Martinez, who delivered the baby. "She put us right through it. Our baby came out healthy. She was an amazing person to help us."

Jayeca is now 14 weeks and five days old, and her parents said she is doing wonderful.