Infant born at 31 weeks showed almost no signs of life; CPR performed en route
Paramedics' emergency care helps baby recover just before hospital handoff
Newborn discharged in good health after about 50 days of treatment
"Baby, please live. Hey — crying. Cry. The baby's crying. The baby's alive. Let's go see mom." Those are the words Seoul paramedics shouted inside an ambulance as they performed CPR on a premature infant who had just been born and did not yet have a name. Their efforts paid off: the baby began breathing on its own just before being handed over to hospital staff upon arrival.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government's Fire and Disaster Headquarters said Sunday that a 33-year-old identified as A was riding with her husband to an obstetrics clinic on the evening of Aug. 1 when she called 119 for help after bleeding began during her pregnancy.
The couple's car had been stuck in traffic on the Bukbu Arterial Road near Mukdong in Jungnang-gu, and contractions and bleeding continued as the vehicle sat gridlocked.
Firefighter Lee Seung-min, who led the ambulance crew, and fellow firefighters Lee Si-seong and Kim Yeong-jin — all from the Mangu 119 Safety Center under the Seoul Jungnang Fire Station — responded to the call, assessed the mother's condition and immediately headed for the hospital.
As delivery became imminent during transport, the crew contacted a medical direction physician for guidance and prepared to assist with the birth inside the ambulance. At around 10:15 p.m., A gave birth at 31 weeks of pregnancy.
The newborn showed only faint spontaneous breathing and a weak response to stimulation. Following medical guidance, the paramedics immediately began CPR while continuing emergency care for the mother.
The baby did not breathe on its own inside the ambulance, but finally began breathing independently just before being handed off to hospital staff upon arrival. After about 50 days of treatment in a neonatal intensive care unit, the infant was discharged in good health.
The story came to light on Sept. 21, when the baby's guardian posted a message of gratitude on the Seoul Metropolitan Government's website. "Even in an unexpected delivery situation, you carefully monitored the baby's condition until the very end, and calmly explained everything to me as the guardian so I could feel at ease — that still stays with me," the guardian wrote.
The paramedics who responded that night said they had simply done what needed to be done. "Hearing that the baby recovered and was discharged is the greatest reward we could ask for as firefighters," they said.
Hong Yeong-geun, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Fire and Disaster Headquarters, said the city would continue training and educating its ambulance crews to handle a wide range of emergencies, ensuring residents can rely on 119 emergency services with confidence.
ken@heraldcorp.com
