More than 5,000 babies are born at Pennsylvania Hospital each year – more than any other hospital in Philadelphia! Nevertheless, some babies aren’t interested in a seamless delivery in a private maternity suite, instead preferring a more dramatic, public entrance. One recent arrival decided that PAH’s chapel was the ideal venue.
Patient coordinator Maegan Kyser was in the Patient and Guest Relations office when she suddenly heard screaming coming from the hallway. She and her colleague Keith Symons ran to see what was going on and found a young woman in labor in the hospital’s main lobby and scrub nurse Patricia Timmons helping her into a wheelchair. But Timmons, followed by Security, weren’t wheeling her towards the elevator leading to the third floor, but right into the nearby chapel!
Emily Cheston, MD, an Obstetrics & Gynecology resident, quickly arrived on the scene and announced that the baby was already crowning. Kyser and Symons dashed back to their office to gather any helpful supplies they could find – gloves, paper towels, and a robe they could lay on the floor. They also called a code, but they later found the OB team was already in the middle of a mock code! While the lead-up was chaotic, though, every member of the unlikely team stayed focused and calm, and after only two pushes, they welcomed the newborn into the world.
“Keith and I visited mom and baby a few days later, and she was so excited to get photos with us and to tell us her story. She and her partner had been having a perfectly normal day and were just out getting an oil change when she started to feel pressure. She made him drive past three different hospitals in order to come here!” Kyser said, adding that she’s now finishing nursing school and hoping to specialize in OB/G. “My mom had asked whether I was sure that was what I wanted, and the very next day, this happened. That sealed it for me!”