Having a baby is something you try to plan ahead as much as possible, but sometimes a baby can come whether you’re ready or not — and that’s when folks at the Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS step in. “It’s not ideal. But when the child comes, you know, we’re there for supportive care. But they are very trained in delivering babies,” said Amera Gilchrist, chief of Pittsburgh Emergency Medical Services.The city of Pittsburgh has seen an increase in pre-hospital births. Officials with the bureau say that pre-pandemic, there were around eight pre-hospital births per year. That has now jumped to around 12 births per year. There were several factors that led to that, but it has also led the bureau to level up its training and its equipment. Every Pittsburgh ambulance also has every tool you can imagine to make sure a mother and baby are safe in this situation, but a crew chief with the Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS, Brianna Kramer, says there was something missing from their kits: a hat. “So a lot of their heat gets lost through their head. That’s another reason why hats are so important,” Kramer said.So Kramer got to work and brought out the crochet needles. “I got really quick at crochet this last year. This was an idea that I’ve had for a little bit, and something that I had encountered problems with in the past. And this year just kind of was the perfect circumstance to come to life,” she said.So far, she has made 36 hats, two for each kit in every ambulance. “It is already such a unique and difficult thing to be born out of hospital. And now there’s a little memento that you can have a physical reminder of it, too,” Kramer said.The hats have already been put to good use. A baby named Na’Layla was born Sunday morning with the help of the city’s Medic 2 team. “And I just thought it was the perfect way. Plus, they get a little souvenir. And so, a reminder that Pittsburgh EMS helped you come into this world,” Kramer said.Now, if you would like to help Kramer, she says being a good neighbor and helping one another in these situations can go a long way. Looking for more news in your area | Subscribe to the WTAE YouTube Channel
PITTSBURGH —
Having a baby is something you try to plan ahead as much as possible, but sometimes a baby can come whether you’re ready or not — and that’s when folks at the Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS step in.
“It’s not ideal. But when the child comes, you know, we’re there for supportive care. But they are very trained in delivering babies,” said Amera Gilchrist, chief of Pittsburgh Emergency Medical Services.
The city of Pittsburgh has seen an increase in pre-hospital births. Officials with the bureau say that pre-pandemic, there were around eight pre-hospital births per year.
That has now jumped to around 12 births per year.
There were several factors that led to that, but it has also led the bureau to level up its training and its equipment.
Every Pittsburgh ambulance also has every tool you can imagine to make sure a mother and baby are safe in this situation, but a crew chief with the Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS, Brianna Kramer, says there was something missing from their kits: a hat.
“So a lot of their heat gets lost through their head. That’s another reason why hats are so important,” Kramer said.
So Kramer got to work and brought out the crochet needles.
“I got really quick at crochet this last year. This was an idea that I’ve had for a little bit, and something that I had encountered problems with in the past. And this year just kind of was the perfect circumstance to come to life,” she said.
So far, she has made 36 hats, two for each kit in every ambulance.
“It is already such a unique and difficult thing to be born out of hospital. And now there’s a little memento that you can have a physical reminder of it, too,” Kramer said.
The hats have already been put to good use.
A baby named Na’Layla was born Sunday morning with the help of the city’s Medic 2 team.
“And I just thought it was the perfect way. Plus, they get a little souvenir. And so, a reminder that Pittsburgh EMS helped you come into this world,” Kramer said.
Now, if you would like to help Kramer, she says being a good neighbor and helping one another in these situations can go a long way.
Looking for more news in your area | Subscribe to the WTAE YouTube Channel