OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP — A local fire department helped welcome new life this week when a mother gave birth to a baby girl en route to the hospital.
Oshtemo Township firefighters got the call from dispatchers Wednesday, April 15th, that a couple was trying to make it to the hospital as mom was in labor. However, a few moments later, the couple arrived at the fire station saying their baby girl was already here!
With the temperatures below freezing, Captain Bob Flahive and firetruck driver/operator Scott Fuller jumped into action to make sure mom and her newborn were comfortable until paramedics could get there.
"I went into the driver's seat to shut the door to keep the cold out and kind of talked to her and calmed her down," Captain Flahive recalled. "We did a little bit of stuff as far as the suction the baby's nose, make sure that the breathing was okay. And then, kept an eye on mom. Mom was doing fine. She was talking. For the most part, we were just making sure she didn't trail off, start to maybe get lightheaded or dizzy from blood loss. Everything seemed to work out just fine."
The firefighters say it's not often that an emergency call comes to them, so they had just seconds to develop a game plan. The good news is that mom and baby are doing just fine.
