Doctor’s first delivery ends up being her nephew

FARGO — For a brief moment Monday night, Sarah Tillman looked down at the baby she was delivering via Caesarean section and felt her focus slip.

It was an understandable lapse in concentration. After all, it was the first baby she’d delivered as a doctor — and it also happened to be her brother’s new son.

“I got a little distracted, thinking that this was my nephew,” she said. “You’re in the middle of surgery and you need to concentrate on that.”

For Tillman, who graduated from the University of North Dakota medical school on Mother’s Day, it was a poignant opportunity to mix work and family.

She wound up in the delivery room at the request of her brother Ben and sister-in-law Heidi. Tillman had worked with their attending physician during medical school, and Ben and Heidi — due Tuesday morning at Sanford here — asked if she could help out with the delivery.

The timing was just right: The baby was due Tuesday morning, and Sarah was set to leave for her South Carolina residency in obstetrics and gynecology Wednesday.

“I thought that would be kind of a cool experience to deliver your nephew,” Ben Tillman said.

On Monday night, the baby, Andrew Tillman, decided it was time to go.

Ben Tillman figured the doctor on call would do most of the work delivering Andrew and Sarah would just be “a second hand pulling him out.” Instead, “Sarah actually did pretty much the whole thing.”

It was a smooth delivery. Despite getting sidetracked momentarily, Sarah’s training served her well. Andrew came out without a hitch to the delight of Ben, Heidi, and his big sister Bryce, 12, who had been waiting expectantly for her baby brother.

Once the procedure was done, Sarah changed hats from working professional to doting aunt.

“He was pretty cute,” she said of Andrew. “It was very fun to be able to play both doctor and aunt in the room.”

Marino Eccher is a reporter

at The Forum of Fargo-

Moorhead, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.

Tags: news, health