“The call came in like childbirth,” relates Jérémy Lachance, director of operations at the Mauricie Ambulance Cooperative. “The first team took care of the baby, then a second resource took care of the mother,” he explains. A supervisor from the ambulance company was also dispatched to the scene.
In any childbirth, the warmth of the newborn is a priority. The matter is all the more true when it is outside, points out Mr. Lachance. It would also seem that the intervention of the passerby proved crucial on this point.
The mother of the baby, for her part, would have been located near the place where the child was found. Both were transported to hospital “alive”, the Ambulance Cooperative simply says, taking into account the confidentiality of the information.
At the CIUSSS de la Mauricie-et-du-Centre-du-Québec, we raise the same questions of confidentiality. However, we confirm “that an event involving a person who gave birth outside occurred on January 1” and that “the necessary care and services were provided to the people involved following the event.”
At the Ambulance Cooperative, we nevertheless note that the intervention was high in emotions. “You normally have one or two births in your career,” points out Mr. Lachance. Let’s say that calls like this aren’t necessarily easy.”
The manager is therefore pleased with the work of his teams. From receiving the call to taking care of the two patients, the case would have happened in a few minutes.
Mother remains detained
The circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear. It is difficult at the moment to say what could have pushed the mother to abandon the child, if that is the case.
According to what - Mauricie reports, the 38-year-old woman was however known to police circles and will have to answer for her actions before the Court. She must undergo her release investigation at the Trois-Rivières courthouse on Tuesday, while the police try to clarify the matter.
In the meantime, the woman remains detained, while the child’s life was probably saved by the passerby and the rapid intervention of the emergency services.
