Durban - A little boy's early and dramatic arrival on Monday morning could have ended in tragedy if not for the quick thinking of a high school staffer and medics from Netcare
According to Netcare 911 media liaison, Shawn Herbst, they received a call from a resident in Danville Avenue in Durban North, who reported that her domestic worker had gone into labour in the drive-way, just after 8am.
Herbst said while medics rushed to the scene, they were informed that the baby had been delivered however he was barely breathing.
"A member of staff from a nearby school who was qualified in first-aid had rushed over to help and had initiated bystander CPR. On arrival paramedics found the neonate male lying on the floor with the placenta still attached, unresponsive and gasping for air," he said.
A full advanced life support resuscitation was initiated by a team of Netcare 911 Emergency Care Practitioners who battled to fully revive the 24-week premature baby," Herbst said.
He said the mother was also assessed and treated on scene by a second team of Netcare 911 medics who found her to be in a stable condition.
"Following a concerted effort, the neonate had begun to show signs of improvement. While being stabilised the child and mother were prepared for transport to hospital. While en-route the child's physical appearance and vital signs had improved to an acceptable standard. Both mom and baby were safely handed over to hospital staff," Herbst said.
The Mercury