ROBSTOWN, Texas — Friday was definitely not a run-of-the-mill day for Robstown EMS.
It started off normally. Around 6 a.m., they got a call from a pregnant woman who was in labor, but when they got to her home, paramedics realized the baby was almost here.
"I noticed her contractions were very short in duration -- very short in-between," paramedic Andrew Estudillo said. "So I knew that birth was imminent. As soon as we got her in (the ambulance) I noticed (the baby) crowning."
The hospital was 16 miles away in Corpus Christi, but they were barely out of Robstown before Estudillo told his partner to stop driving the ambulance and get in the back to help him deliver the baby.
"We got to the back (of the ambulance), and before we knew it, the baby came out," Estudillo said.
It was the first time that he'd delivered a baby in an ambulance. His partner, EMS Supervisor Kevin Sanchez, had prior experience with it -- but not much.
"We usually encounter all types of emergencies, but babies are definitely few and far between," Sanchez said.
Both the baby and his mother are doing well after finally getting to the hospital for doctors to check on them.
It's an experience they'll never forget, and neither will Estudillo and Sanchez.
"It's an awesome feeling -- almost indescribable," Sanchez said. "You're just glad to have been trained and let your training kick in."
"It always feels good to be there on days like this where you're able to bring life into this world," Estudillo said. "You know, do something positive for people around here."
