SISTERS, OR -- Sisters paramedics took a very special call Saturday, of a woman in active labor. "I initially thought we were just going to load up and be heading to the hospital," Shift Commander Cody Meredith tells KBND News. When Meredith and his partner arrived, the woman's contractions were just a couple minutes apart. Still, everyone thought they'd make it to the hospital in Bend.

The father rode in the front of the rig while Meredith  helped the mom in the back. Before they could get to St. Charles, Meredith realized the baby was coming, "When it was identified that the delivery was imminent, we did pull over the ambulance at that time to finish delivering the baby; and then, called for the father to come to the back of the ambulance and help cut the cord." They then continued to the hospital with the new precious cargo. 

Meredith has been a medic for 14 years and says this little girl was his first, "Delivery of a baby in an ambulance is a really rare event. Most patients are able to get to the hospital prior to delivery." But, he says, they all train for such calls and ambulances are outfitted with the necessary equipment. "You just are in the moment, doing what you need to do to help the patient. And then, everything starts to settle in after the call, and that’s when you really get to take a deep breath on it and absorb it all." Meredith adds, "It’s a lot of emotions. It’s being grateful to be there and be part of that moment for that family, as well as just that everything went well." The Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District says both mother and baby are healthy and recovering. 

"It was amazing to be part of that moment for that family," says Meredith, "It was a bit overwhelming after the call was all over with, for sure. Rolling the patient into Family Birthing, I definitely got a little choked up as we pulled the mom into the room."