Unplanned Out-of-Hospital Births: The Unseen Challenges of EMS

EMS personnel must be prepared to provide care for mothers and newborns during any clinical shift, despite the risks associated with out-of-hospital births.

Lack of information about gestational age or potential complications makes it difficult for EMS personnel to provide optimal care.

Teenage patients may be in denial of their pregnancies or fearful of discovery by their families, adding to the complexity of the situation.

EMS personnel reported attending births in remote and poorer areas, far away from hospital facilities and with no backup readily available.

The distance to a specialised newborn care facility, as well as rules around who could be transported and when, meant mothers and babies sometimes needed separate transport.

EMS personnel reported using makeshift solutions to care for newborns, such as plastic clingfilm to keep them warm.

In some cases, EMS personnel attended births in areas with limited or no emergency services, leaving the paramedics with no choice but to provide care by themselves.

EMS personnel are often the first point of contact for women experiencing labour and birth outside of a hospital setting.

The stories shared by New Zealand ambulance personnel highlight a gap in care for women not accessing routine antenatal and birth services.

Targeted training and education are needed to prepare EMS personnel for the unpredictable and high-risk scenarios of out-of-hospital births.