The Volunteer Firefighters of Ílhavo facilitated a birth in an ambulance on Friday around 9:30 a.m.
The emergency call had been made to transport the pregnant woman to the hospital because the Aveiro emergency medical vehicle (VMER) was occupied and the Aveiro hospital maternity unit was closed.
As the mother’s contractions became increasingly frequent, occurring every two minutes, her water broke near the Aveiro South entrance of the A1 motorway. The ambulance halted and awaited the VMER from the Coimbra University Hospital Center while a doctor monitored the woman’s condition.
Artur Ferreira, the commander of the Ílhavo Firefighters, reported on the “Soldados da Paz” Facebook page that, shortly after parking the ambulance, the baby was born, as per the doctor’s instructions, at approximately 10:45 a.m.
“Everything went smoothly, and after assessing both the mother and the newborn daughter, they were transported to the Daniel de Matos maternity unit in Coimbra,” concluded Artur Ferreira, highlighting the “important teamwork” involved.
