Triple-0 births: Record number of babies delivered by paramedics
More paramedics and triple-0 operators are helping deliver babies in the most unlikely of places — from homes to even the side of the road — as a rising number of “surprise” births are occurring around NSW. LISTEN TO A TRIPLE-O BABY BIRTH CALL
NSW
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It’s a baby boom with a difference — impatient bundles of joy surprising their parents by arriving early and in unexpected places such as at home, in hallways, bathrooms or at the roadside.
In the first half of the year, Ambulance Service of NSW figures show paramedics have helped deliver a record 862 babies, or 33 a week.
The numbers are up 21 per cent on the same period last year, when 711 babies were born.
March was the busiest month so far, with 169 babies delivered with help from paramedics.
The suburb with the most paramedic-assisted deliveries is Blacktown, in Sydney’s west, with 28 since January last year. It also holds top spot for most accidental homebirths in a month with nine babies born in June.
Merrylands comes a close second, with 24 babies delivered by paramedics over the past 18 months.
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Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan said helping deliver newborns is a bit of a highlight for ambulance officers, who deal with some tough scenarios.
“Being part of something as special as the birth of a baby is one of the most rewarding moments paramedics and call-takers experience on the job,” he said.
“It’s an absolute privilege for us to be part of what is one of the most important days of people’s lives.”
But the phenomena can’t be blamed on unorganised parents, we are talking babies who decide their due date is not the day predicted.
On August 5, Laurie Osmond was 38-weeks pregnant with her second child so she and husband Jason Heeris thought they had plenty of time to get to the hospital. But their baby had other plans.
“At 6pm the night before I thought I was in pre-labour, what I thought I was pre-labour pretty much until she was born,” Ms Osmond, 35, from Marrickville said.
“At 9am the contractions were getting stronger and I jumped in the shower. I wasn’t really timing them, then my waters broke and I started freaking out how I was going to get to hospital as the contractions were then getting really, really strong.
“Jason helped me get to the bed. He rang the hospital and said we are coming in and as he was on the phone I said to him ‘back up, call the ambulance, I have to push, the baby is coming’.”
The triple-0 operator talked him through delivering his daughter.
“I could see the baby’s little face and hand and the operator told me to flip Laurie over, so I was trying to do that and not hurt the baby. Then I was pushing down on her belly,” Mr Heeris said.
Ms Osmond said: “Her head was out and they helped him help me. I was too consumed to be scared.
“I was so impressed with Jason and I completely trusted him and the operator to tell him what to do. That made a difference, but my body just took over.
“A couple of more pushes and she was out.”
For a tense few seconds there was no noise until Jocelyn Madeline Osmond, weighing 4.16kg, let out a life-affirming cry.
“She came so fast, she cried and was breathing and he put her on my chest and that made it all okay. Jason was really scared although he seemed really calm,” Ms Osmond said.
“The paramedics arrived two minutes after she was born. It was an accidental homebirth that was amazing and we were not expecting that to happen,” she said.
Mr Heeris, an engineer, was happy with his handiwork.
“It was a very intense, profound experience and I won’t lie, I felt pretty proud and I’ll be dining out on this story for the rest of my life,” Mr Heeris said.
For Thomas Hawkins, who had been a paramedic for just one month, it was his first birth.
“It was very special and amazing to be with the family at such a special time. We did checks on the mum and baby and I got to clamp the cord and let the dad cut it,” he said.
Paramedic Ashlee Browne said it was her second birth in as many years on the job.
“They can be stressful, but I’m fortunate both times they have turned out well. It is so nice to see life come into the world as we normally we see things the other way around,” she said.
Originally published as Triple-0 births: Record number of babies delivered by paramedics
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