News

EMS Workers Recount Delivering, Reviving Newborn in Boston

O'Ryan Johnson

06/13/2014

June 13--Two quick-thinking Boston EMS workers snatched a newborn baby from the brink of death early yesterday morning in the parking lot of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

The duo were not even part of the same crew, but happened to be at the hospital on separate calls when a woman ran into the emergency room saying a baby was being born in the parking lot.

EMT Todd Ritch, assigned to A-13 in Jamaica Plain, left his recruit trainees and raced outside, followed by EMT Natalie Grillo, assigned to the nightside shift.

Last night, they recounted the miraculous rescue to Herald reporter O'Ryan Johnson:

Ritch: "She was in the passenger seat leaning over the center console. Her husband was there with a couple other (toddler-age) kids in the back seat ... (of their) mid-sized sedan.

The baby was partially delivered and the mom said the baby wasn't coming out. I had her lean forward a bit to see what was going on, and the cord was wrapped around the neck. So I made every attempt to get it off, but it wasn't coming off.

The cord was preventing full delivery. The baby was only about nipple line outside, and it wasn't coming any more. So I had her bend over the center console even further, and I was able to basically wiggle the baby out.

(That) was when I was able to get the cord out from around his neck. He had a blue tint color which indicates ... a lack of oxygen. The baby was found to be in arrest and wasn't breathing. I couldn't find a pulse. ... To get a baby back where it needs to be, you need to do compressions really fast.

I kept the baby right where it was, below the mom, and I started compressions right away ... (Then) Natalie came over and said, 'What do you need?' She cut the cord."

Grillo: "His hands were busy.

I (had) heard them saying there's an EMT delivering a baby in the parking lot ... so I figured someone was out there by themselves. So I went out there to lend a hand.

I saw Todd kneeling in the front passenger side of the car. He had a handful of nurses and doctors standing behind him, and I could see the father on the other side of the car, extremely worried and pacing back and forth, trying to console the children in the back."

Ritch: "When she was cutting the cord, the baby took ... very labored ... and very slow (breaths).

It wasn't that long before we got a sign. It was super labored. ... The mom asked right away, once it was out, 'Why is the baby not crying?'

I said, 'The baby is not breathing right now, and we're doing everything we can.'

I said, 'You're at the right place at the right time. We're going to do everything we can for your baby.' "

Ritch handed the baby off to a team of nurses and doctors and followed everyone into the emergency room, watching and waiting for some sign that the baby made it.

Ritch: "They were still doing some compressions but then they let go, and the baby cried. And everybody heard it for the first time."

Grillo: "It was hands up in the air."

Ritch: "It brought tears to my eyes. ... It did it to all of us. Everybody in the room just -- it was a moment. As soon as they got the baby pink, warm and dry, and screaming -- which is amazing -- they brought it over and put him on his mom, and everyone was together, it was perfect. Couldn't ask for a better outcome.

From what I hear the baby is doing fine. ... This was the call of my career, so far. It's amazing. To be able to be there, in the moment and know what to do, and have an outcome like this, I'll feel like I'm in the clouds for a long time."