Rescue authorities in Daejeon said Tuesday that a woman who was 21 weeks pregnant ended up giving birth inside an ambulance Monday afternoon, as no hospitals in the vicinity were equipped to handle the case.
The Daejeon Fire Headquarters received a report at around 7:15 p.m. Monday that a woman in her 30s had had her water break. Giving birth earlier than 28 weeks is considered an extreme case, and the hospital in question was unable to provide the necessary care.
Rescue workers contacted other hospitals in Daejeon and the adjacent area, but were unable to find any that could provide immediate care. With their help, the woman gave birth inside the ambulance.
Officials ultimately found a hospital in Sejong, around 25 kilometers away from Daejeon, and took the mother and baby there at around 9:16 p.m. Both are receiving medical care at the hospital.
Daejeon Fire Headquarters officials said the urgency of the situation made it difficult to keep waiting to find a hospital that could take them, forcing rescue workers to deliver the baby in their care.
Most premature labor occurs just a few weeks early, which commonly results in the newborn being underweight, but with high survival rates. Mother and baby face substantially higher risks if the birth occurs earlier than 28 weeks because the baby's organs are still underdeveloped.
The baby born Monday is currently in an incubator in intensive care.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
