St John has helped deliver another baby in an ambulance.
For many, it was just another Tuesday (23 January) morning in Port Moresby… but not for this young woman who hails from Goilala District in the Central Province.
At around 10:30am, the St John Ambulance 111 Operations Centre in Port Moresby received a distress call from a settlement behind Badihagwa.
Maria David, a 29-year-old woman, was experiencing pains and needed urgent medical assistance.
“This was Maria’s first pregnancy, and with no idea of her stage of pregnancy and having not done medical checks, you can imagine the amount of distress she was in,” says St John.
Helpless with no other way to get help, her relatives called St John and immediately an ambulance was dispatched.
Intensive care paramedic Simon Jacob and ambulance officer Michael Mara arrived on scene quickly.
“Maria was given a thorough medical assessment by the team and was safely assisted onto the stretcher. Soon after, Maria went into labour.
“The officers stopped on the side of the road to help Maria safely deliver a beautiful baby girl weighing 2.8kg.
“After delivery, a healthy mother and baby were taken to Port Moresby General Hospital for routine checks.”
The staff said hours later, they dropped by the hospital to check on Maria.
“She was overcome with emotion and embraced them with hugs, not knowing how she would thank them,” said the first aid provider.
Jacob and Mara said it is a common occurrence for ambulance officers to help deliver babies in the field.
“Not all mothers can reach a hospital in time and for some, the advanced prehospital health care services of St John are the difference between life and death,” they said.
The mother and child were soon released after 24 hours.
“We wish them both good health,” states St John.
Meanwhile, St John Ambulance continues to assist pregnant women all over Central Province and occasionally in Gulf.
St John Ambulance attends over 40 obstetric emergencies every month.