Photo not related to article. [Newsis]
Photo not related to article. [Newsis]

A high-risk pregnant woman whose water broke at 21 weeks gave birth inside an ambulance with the help of paramedics after no hospital would accept her.

According to Yonhap and other outlets, a staff member at an obstetrics clinic in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, called 119 at around 7:15 p.m. Monday to report that a high-risk patient in her 30s was about to give birth.

The patient was 21 weeks pregnant and had experienced severe abdominal pain and a rupture of the amniotic sac that day. The clinic was unable to perform an emergency delivery.

Fire department officials searched for a hospital that could take her, but none responded that they could accommodate a patient at such an extremely premature stage of pregnancy.

While waiting in the ambulance, the patient went into severe labor and delivered the baby with the assistance of paramedics.

Anticipating the possibility of an in-ambulance delivery, fire department officials had deployed two ambulances and six paramedics.

After a hospital in Sejong confirmed it could admit her, fire officials transferred the patient and the newborn there at around 9:16 p.m.

The newborn is receiving intensive care in the hospital's intensive care unit.


choigo@heraldcorp.com