A Memory

After ten years of being a paramedic, I've seen alot of calls, either on foreign shores, in a rural area, and in the bit city. I've probably started over 5,000 IVs, probably intubated over 500, and done well over a few hundred shooting calls. But these aren't the things I remember...

It was about six years ago, I was working a job in the city on Medic 795-C (7 for my company, 95 for my car number and C-for the night shift). I don't remember who my partner was. We got a job for an imminent labor. It seemed pretty boring and I rolled my eyes. Why couldn't she call the cab? Why couldn't someone else drive her to the hospital? I wondered if she had called her primary OB. I would have a few choice words for her about wasting city resources when we got on the scene.

What I found was a 22 year old black female, G3/P2 (3rd pregnancy, 2 living children), who'd been having contractions for about two hours now. Her water broke. I saw one look at her and said "OH SHIT! GET THE STAIR CHAIR NOW!!!!!" I sat her down and took a quick set of vitals. All those bad thoughts had been wiped out of my mind.

With me on the head we carried her down to the bus and loaded her in. I leaned up and told the driver to expedite it. I had no intention of delivering a baby on my bus. Obviously God had other thoughts on that matter. I checked for crowning and she had crowned about 5 cm. I coached her through breathing while I started a line on her, 20 g. left intern's vein, if I remember correctly.

"OH MY GOD!!!!" Those are the words, no paramedic wants to hear from a pregnant female on the back of his bus. I snapped my head around and looked. THE BABY WAS COMING!


I quickly put a sheet down between her knees and prepared to catch him like a football. Forst the head came out, the baby rotated and seconds later the whole baby was out. I suctioned the nose and mouth out with a bulb syringe and finally breathed (did I stp breathing????) when I heard the baby cry. I can't explain the sound of a newborn baby crying.

There is something refreshing for a paramedic who normally spends twelve hours a night listening to bullcrap and dealing with the lower class of a city, when he delivers a baby. There were no accusations of racism. There were no chronic alcoholics who needed a night in the drunk tank. There were no 18 year old punks spitting on you. There were no psych patients throwing you down a flight of stairs. There was no driving up to a cross fire between bad guys and cops.

There is new life...fresh life...YES, THERE IS A GOD!!!!!

The rest of the trip was uneventful. I covered the baby up and laid him (yes it was a boy) on his mothers chest. She was crying and honestly I had to wipe a tear away also. I held her hand and smiled gently.

This is not why I'm blogging about this though...

About four months later, I was in the ER, bruised and scraped after fighting it out with a violent drunk who wanted to prove how tough he was in the back of my bus (4 ft. by 10 ft.). He was put down and subdued but I was also prettyu bruised and I had a bloody nose...

And I was walking to the EMS room to do my paperwork (and turn in my resignation paperwork)...when I hear a female voice. I look up impatiently and see her face. I don't remember her, honestly. I've seen over 100 patients over the past 3 months.

She doesn't say a word. She holds up a baby and I look at her wondering what this is about.

"I named him after you. He's James Robert." She smiled. I hold the baby in my arms and smile. Now I remember. Now I remember bringing this baby into the world.

Finally after a few moments, I have to walk away to shed my tears in private...