Inside a flood control tunnel in Las Vegas, Nevada, a woman gave birth with no one but the concrete walls as witnesses. When firefighters from Engine 44 and Rescue 103 arrived, the baby had already been born, wrapped in a sweatshirt, still attached to the umbilical cord and unresponsive.
Paramedic Eric Paul, who had already assisted with the births of his own two children, acted quickly: he cleared the airway, stimulated the baby, and clamped the cord. Within seconds, crying filled the tunnel.
Mother and child were taken to the hospital in stable condition. “This went as well as one could hope”, Paul said afterward. Sometimes life chooses the most unexpected places to begin.
