The blizzard Tuesday, Jan. 27, brought a different kind of excitement for one family in Mechanic Falls — the birth of their first baby.

As naturopathic midwives, we are called to births in all kinds of weather, but when we received the call to come to that birth in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, we weren’t sure we would be able to make the drive from Topsham to Mechanic Falls. Due to the prediction of one to two feet of snow coming and travel bans up and down the East Coast, we didn’t know what we would find when we headed out.

Thanks to the amazing plowing efforts of countless people traversing the towns of Topsham, Bath, Lisbon Falls, Lewiston, Auburn and Mechanic Falls, we were fortunate to be able to make it safely and ensure the safe birth of that baby.

We offer our thanks to all the Maine men and women who worked through the night to help us get there.

Sarah Ackerly, Topsham, and Carrie Werner, Bath