April 15, 2015

Mother in Labor Goes to Old UMCP, Baby Born in Car

In the early morning hours of Saturday, April 4, the squad responded to the corner of Henry Avenue and Harris Road on the report of a woman in labor in a vehicle on the side of the road. Upon arrival, the crew discovered a woman in the front seat of the car holding a newborn child. The mother was accompanied by her husband, her doula, and police officers who had arrived on the scene prior to the squad. The doula reported that after the onset of labor, she and the patient’s husband attempted to transport the mother to University Medical Center of Princeton. Unaware that the hospital had moved to Plainsboro in 2012, the trio drove to the site of the recently demolished former hospital, and when it became apparent that delivery of the child was imminent, and not knowing the hospital’s new location, they requested that the squad respond. The crew evaluated both mother and child and determined them to be healthy and displaying no critical symptoms. The delivery of the placenta, however, had not yet taken place. Mother and child were placed on the stretcher and loaded into the ambulance for transport to University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro (UMCPP) for further treatment and evaluation.

The Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad is staffed 24 hours a day by approximately 90 volunteer and career personnel. Members of the community who are interested in volunteering with the Squad are encouraged to visit www.pfars.org, e-mail info@pfars.org, or call (609) 924-3338 to learn more about EMS, technical rescue, and administrative opportunities.