a good delivery...the coolest thing for an EMT

[raDiOnut]

Hey,

The other day I was working a 38hr shift as an EMT and only had one call before I went to bed. It was a boring, non-transport call. At 0553, 7 minutes before I was going to punch out, I got a call from Dispatch for a pt complaining of "imminent delivery."

So, my partner and I got in the rig, and drove ~ 10min to our pt, who was waiting at a gas station. We loaded her into the rig, the medic got in the back, and I started heading for the hospital, Priority 1...this pt's contractions were about 3min apart.

About 13 min from the hospital, my partner had me radio dispatch to send out another rig to intercept with us (we needed a third person) and had me come in the back, because he saw crowning. I got in the back, and within 5min, the baby was out! I suctioned, dried, and held the baby (supported...didn't take her off the stretcher) until we got her and her mom into the maternity ward at the hospital. The baby was perfect, APGAR 15. WOW! Assisting at a delivery was the absolute coolest thing....it made my week

raDiONut

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[tkim]

Originally posted by raDiOnut
The baby was perfect, APGAR 15. WOW!

That must have been one *healthy* baby ...

Congrats man - field deliveries are the coolest.

- Tae

 

[Robz]

I have had the privilege of doing a couple of field deliveries and each one was very special. That is so awesome that you were there to help. Sounds like it was a pretty easy one! Great job!

 

[Amy B]

It's always great when a baby is born and is healthy and strong. Glad you got to see it, there's nothing quite like it.

 

[raDiOnut]

correction...APGAR 10, lol....though the baby WAS awfully healthy

raDiOnut

 

[maya]

I just finished my EMT class a few weeks ago and I've wanted to assist in a delivery but haven't had the chance...way to go! I've been told they don't happen very often.

 

[Robz]

It took me about 2-3 years after my EMT class before I delivered my first baby. I was in paramedic school at the time Great experience there since I was working with my preceptor on a night shift!

 

[DrQuinn]

Congrats! Fun fun fun. Never got to deliver a baby as an EMT back in college...

Delivering babies is how OB/GYN residencies "snag" most of their residents. Its a great feeling doing it, and I don't think it ever gets old. So as a student when you're on your OB rotation you deliver lots of babies and think "Hey this is fun, I could do this for a living!"

Q, DO

 

[Febrifuge]

'nut, congrats! That is awesome.

Btw, my EMT instructor has been a paramedic for 24 years, and he has yet to do what you did. Does your service award a 'stork pin' to crews that help with deliveries?

 

[raDiOnut]

Yep, my service does give out stork pins. I got mine a couple days ago...it's a neat pink stork (because it was a girl). Another twist to the delivery was that the mother only spoke Spanish. I've taken 2yrs of Spanish in hs and have a minor in it, so that was very handy!

The birth came at a really good time for my service too. The previous week, we'd had an unusual number of DOA's, several of whom were very young kids. This was a morale boost for all of us.

raDiOnut

 

[raDiOnut]

That delivery was the 1st call I had last week. Unfortunately, the very last call I had was a full arrest, where the er doc called the code after I'd spent 30min doing chest compressions. What a bummer, huh? I went from extreme to extreme in exactly 1 week!!! Tis life....

raDiOnut

 

[Robz]

Yeah that is the span of life in EMS. I can totally relate with you. Keep fighting the good fight.

 

[raDiOnut]

That delivery was almost 2 weeks ago now, and I think that was some sort of prep (for lack of a better word) for the two weeks after. A couple days after the full arrest I wrote about, I worked what was supposed to a 5hr mini-shift. But, 1/2 hour before I went off duty, my rig was called out to a PI. It turned out there were 3K's onscene, 1 P1, and 3 P2 patients. I took care of the P1 (from finding him to loading him into a helicopter), and that was rough. I'm just thanking God that I had that awesome delivery two weeks ago to help balance all the bad calls I've had since!

raDiOnut