B.C. mom delivers baby on side of highway while en route to Kamloops hospital
Marissa Ross was driving from Bridge Lake to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops to give birth to her fourth baby. But she didn't manage to make it to the hospital before her daughter made an appearance.
Marissa Ross had her 4th child while travelling to Kamloops from Bridge Lake
Jessica Wallace · CBC News
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Marissa Ross never expected to be having her fourth child, a girl named Remi, on the side of the highway.
But that's exactly what happened when she went into labour last month.
Ross had a doctor's appointment in Kamloops on her due date, Oct. 20. She said her doctor thought she had a couple more days before she would give birth, so she returned to her home in Bridge Lake, about 140 kilometres northwest of Kamloops via Highway 24.
She arrived home and put her three other children to bed that night — then, she went into labour.
Ross and her husband Brandon packed up their brand new pickup truck — purchased weeks earlier to accommodate the growing family of six — and headed for Kamloops.
Marissa Ross says her nursing background helped her stay calm while delivering her child. (Submitted by Vanessa Mack)
Soon after, they realized they weren't going to make it to Royal Inland Hospital.
"My husband was driving and I said, you know what, I don't think we're going to make it to Kamloops," Ross said. "This baby's coming sooner.
"He's like, 'I'm calling an ambulance. You're not having this baby in the truck.' And so, before we lost cell service — because Highway 24 is not great for cell service — we quickly called [near] about [Lac des Roches]. And they said, 'We'll send somebody to meet you.'"
'Delivered the baby myself'
Ross was in the back of the pickup truck when the ambulance arrived.
The paramedic who assisted Ross was new and had not yet completed obstetrics training, according to Ross. He had called a specialist for help.
Ross, a registered nurse who works in post-natal care, took things into her own hands.
"I hopped onto the stretcher, and they did get me into the back of the ambulance, where I did push one more time and delivered the baby myself," she said.
"I was like, 'It's OK, calm down. I'm a nurse, I kind of know what I'm doing here,'" Ross added.
Rare delivery
Vanessa Mack, the couple's birth and labour doula, says she got a call from the couple as they were leaving Bridge Lake and planned to meet them at the hospital.
She was surprised when she received a call soon after, saying the baby girl had arrived.
Mack says she has been to more than 100 births and this type of story is rare.
Baby Remi is doing well following her highway delivery, according to Ross. (Submitted by Vanessa Mack)
"What is cool about Marissa's story is she just kind of coached the ambulance attendants through the process, she coached the paramedics through her own birth," Mack said. "So really, I think all the power goes to her."
As for how the family is doing? They are settling into the chaos, and Ross's three boys are enjoying snuggles with their new baby sister.
"She's perfect," the mother said.
In a statement, B.C. Emergency Health Services said ambulance and side-of-the-road deliveries are not unusual and that paramedics are trained to provide directions and assistance.
It said over the last year, paramedics assisted with the delivery of 67 babies in B.C.
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