Less Than 10 Minutes After Departure, "I Think the Baby Is Coming"... Woman in Her 30s Gives Birth in Ambulance

Emergency Delivery in Just 10 Minutes During Transport
Both Mother and Baby in Good Health

A story has emerged of a woman in her 30s who gave birth to her baby inside a 119 emergency ambulance while being transported to the hospital.

Firefighter Jeongsu Kim (left) and Firefighter Jeongwoo Seo from Gohan 119 Safety Center, Jeongseon Fire Station. Gangwon Provincial Fire Department

According to Jeongseon Fire Station and Yonhap News on May 1, at around 8:31 p.m. the previous day, the husband of a 37-year-old pregnant woman, A, from the Philippines, urgently visited the Gohan 119 Safety Center in Jeongseon. A, who began experiencing labor pains earlier than her due date, was on her way to the hospital with her husband in their own car, but as the contractions became more frequent, they sought help at the 119 Safety Center.

Firefighter Jeongsu Kim and Firefighter Jeongwoo Seo from Gohan 119 Safety Center picked up A and headed to an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Gangneung where she had been receiving regular care. While the two firefighters were conducting a quick medical assessment in the moving ambulance, A suddenly cried out, "I think the baby is coming!" This happened less than 10 minutes after departure. At that moment, the baby's head was already visible at the entrance to the birth canal.

Firefighter Seo immediately pulled the ambulance over to a safe spot off the road. Firefighter Kim, under the guidance of a doctor, began performing emergency delivery procedures. Just two minutes after Firefighter Kim started the emergency delivery, the loud cry of a baby boy echoed inside the ambulance. The paramedics checked the newborn's health, cut the umbilical cord, and took measures to keep him warm. After completing emergency care for A and delivering the placenta, they resumed their journey to the obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Gangneung.

A baby born in an emergency ambulance. Gangwon Provincial Fire Department
Photo by Gangwon Provincial Fire Department

Thanks to their swift and precise emergency response, both A and her baby are reportedly in good health. Firefighter Kim said, "It was my first time delivering a baby in an ambulance, so I was quite flustered, but thanks to my emergency delivery training as a 119 paramedic, I was able to handle it well. I am grateful that the baby was born healthy and hope he grows up well." Jeongseon Fire Station Chief Yoo Youngmin also stated that the baby's safe birth was possible thanks to the calm response of the paramedics, and added that he plans to offer his congratulations to A after she is discharged from the hospital.