108 Bargara Rd
Bundaberg East, Qld, 4670
At IMPACT Community Health Service (ICHS) in the Discovery Coast we pride ourselves on being there for the community whenever and however we can – rain, hail or shine.
And the recent deluge has proven no exception.
ICHS Child Health Nurse Pip Burton recently assisted paramedics with a homebirth after a local resident went into labour during a flash flooding event.
Unable to get to Bundaberg or Gladstone or even home from the Queensland Ambulance Station due to road closures, the woman and her family ended up at her surf instructor’s home with paramedics and Pip to support her through the birth of her child.
Having worked in the region for 17 years, Pip said not once had she been called to assist with a homebirth before!
When Pip’s experiences with homebirths went from none to one, she was on a day off, moving house when the call came in from the ICHS practice manager.
Pip said the paramedics were already incredibly busy and wanted her present to support them, and the mother during and after the delivery.
When she arrived at the surf instructor’s house, it turned out that Pip knew or had some connection to nearly everyone in the room which helped ease any nerves.
She said through her work as a child health nurse and learning to surf she had previously met the owner of the home, the soon-to-be mother of two and one of the paramedics.
Pip said from when the baby was crowning to their arrival, “it all happened pretty quickly”, and both the mother and father were super calm throughout the delivery.
Thanks to technology, Pip and the paramedics were able to speak with a midwife via Facetime for the delivery of the placenta and check for blood loss.
Once the weather cleared a helicopter was able to get through and take a healthy mum and bub from the sports and recreation precinct to Gladstone Hospital.
Pip said the baby was born around 1.50pm and the helicopter landed close to 5pm.
Impact Community Health Service (ICHS) operates out of IMPACT Community Health Precinct, located at 2 Rafting Ground Road Agnes Water.
To get in contact with the ICHS team phone 4902 2000.
Please note: This website may contain references to, or feature images, videos, and voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have passed away.