South Portland police Officer Jessica Ramsay, a licensed emergency medical technician, delivered a healthy baby boy Saturday morning. South Portland Police Department Facebook photo
SOUTH PORTLAND — South Portland Police Officer Jessica Ramsey came to the rescue and helped a local woman deliver a healthy baby boy after hearing a call about an imminent birth.
Officer Jessica Ramsey was monitoring incoming calls at about 1:15 a.m. on Jan. 15 and heard an incoming 9-1-1 call regarding a childbirth.
The South Portland Fire Department requested a rescue unit several times to respond to the home. The rescue unit had been responding to another call when the 9-1-1 call went out.
“I heard the call go out and they had called for one of the apparatuses, I think it was Rescue 42, a couple of times which to me means they are either clearing a call they had been on, or they were at the hospital and so dispatch was trying to find out if they were available to take another call,” said Ramsey.
Ramsey, whose beat is the area of the Maine Mall, decided to go over and check on the woman to make sure she was OK. “I was like, ‘well, I’ll go; contractions are three minutes apart it could happen,’” Ramsey said. Police declined to identify the woman who gave birth.
When Ramsey arrived at the scene, the woman was in labor with contractions three minutes apart, but Ramsey noticed the contractions were coming faster than what they originally thought. “As soon as I got there, she was ending one contraction and immediately within 30 seconds was having her second one,” Ramsey said. “I was standing there and rubbing her back, encouraging her to breathe.”
Ramsey asked the woman if she minded if she checked her, Ramsey explained that she was an EMT. At that point, the baby’s head wasn’t crowning but the women had been standing at the time. On the third or fourth contraction Ramsey noticed the women tightening up more than before. The women explained that she could feel the baby coming, at that point Ramsey checked again and saw the baby’s head.
“I guided the head out and encouraged her to essentially birth the baby and when she did, I caught him,” said Ramsey. “I told her congratulations you have a baby boy.”
Ramsey, who has a background in medical training ensured that the baby was safe. She cleaned out his nose and mouth and made sure he was breathing. When paramedics arrived at the scene, Ramsey was holding the baby. “I said, ‘Hey guys we have a healthy baby boy,’” Ramsey said. The mother and baby were transported to a local hospital.
As a mother of two, Ramsey understood what it was like to bring a new life into the world. This had been her first time delivering a baby while on duty. During her 15 years at the Old Orchard Beach Fire Department, she had responded to multiple labor calls, but never had the chance to help deliver due to being so close to all the hospitals.
“I was overjoyed for mom that she had a healthy baby and that she was OK,” Ramsey said. “I was more worried about her health and taking care of her until the fire department took over. We have great firefighters, EMTs and paramedics in South Portland, I knew they had control of the situation. Once I was allowed to leave, my sergeant allowed me to go change uniforms. I went back and I was just happy. It is an amazing experience that not everyone gets to experience. I was just happy I was there and able to help her through when nobody else was.”
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