OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Paramedic Service is joking that the stork may need to find a new hobby.
For the fourth time in about two months, Ottawa paramedics have assisted in the delivery of a new baby outside of a hospital.
In this latest case, a local mom called 9-1-1 at around 11:23 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12 after going into labour.
Call-taker trainee Nicholas and his ambulance communication officer mentor Marcel dispatched a team to the home and began asking questions to see if delivery was imminent. Mom said her water broke just before the 9-1-1 call and she felt the urge to push. She passed the phone to dad.
Nicholas gave dad crucial information as they waited for paramedics to arrive, including the need for towels and blankets and the need to keep mom warm. While reassuring the parents the ambulance was on its way, dispatchers heard dad exclaim "Oh, boy!" as the baby's head became visible.
A new baby boy was safely delivered by 11:29 p.m. Paramedics Saara and David arrived just minutes later to assess mom and baby and take them to the hospital.
The Ottawa Paramedic Service awards stork pins to medics who assist in deliveries, so Nicholas and Marcel are joining that select group.
"Congratulations to mom, dad and Ottawa’s newest big sister!" the Ottawa Paramedic Service said in a news release.
Paramedics also helped with a delivery just two days before, on Thursday morning, which the service described as the third such delivery in eight weeks.