Posted: 2/7/07

Emergency birth proves to be a St. Michael’s family affair
St. Michael’s rescue squad responds to the emergency birth of Professor Mark Lubkowitz’s child

Ryan Lowell | fact checker
rlowell@smcvt.edu

Ginger Lubkowitz’s baby wasn’t due to be born for another two weeks when she was on her way to Fletcher Allen Health Care on Dec. 21. Yet she and her husband, biology professor Mark Lubkowitz, knew it was time. They were traveling down Interstate 89, 200 yards before the Williston rest stop area, when Mark Lubkowitz says he pulled the couple’s Toyota Matrix over and the two began to prepare for an emergency birth.

“It happened very suddenly, I felt the head coming out,” Ginger says. “At first I tried to keep it from coming out, and practiced breathing techniques. But I quickly learned it wasn’t going to work.”

Unexpected emergency required immediate action

Mark Lubkowitz says he was talking to the couple’s midwife on the phone when he saw a state trooper on the side of the road and pulled over.

"I pulled up next to the state trooper and yelled out the window ‘call 911, we’re having a baby!’” he says.

He says the response came very quickly, and there were plenty of qualified people around to help.

“Two paramedics showed up, and three other state troopers showed up,” he says. “There were four St. Michael’s kids that I recognized. It was about 10 minutes from the time we saw the trooper until they got there.”

He says the birth took less than an hour.

“It was pretty hectic. It’s not what you’re expecting for sure,” he says. “There was blood everywhere and the baby was naked and screaming. And we have a Toyota Matrix so it’s not like it was a big car.”

Ginger remembers the process as very quick and busy. Even though it was an early birth, she felt like her body had been preparing, and with all the help she had, she says she was ready.

“I thought it wouldn’t happen until after Christmas,” she says. “ But in retrospect it all worked out. It happened so quickly. My memory is kind of blurry, but I felt I was in very good hands with the paramedics and the St. Michael’s kids.”

When all was said and done, Alexander Marturet Gay Lubkowitz was born at a healthy seven pounds and seven ounces, Mark says.

“They cut the umbilical cord and rushed the little guy off to the hospital to make sure he was OK,” he says. “Then I got in and followed them off to the hospital.”

St. Michael’s to the rescue

Although an emergency birth may be a once in a lifetime experience for the Lubkowitz family, the St. Michael’s fire and rescue squad is trained to deal with similar situations on a regular basis. Fire and rescue chief Pete Soons says the rescue squad trains so they can work with kids in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

“What’s unique to St. Michael’s is we have an agreement with Fletcher Allen to deal with neonatal cases,” Soons says. “Neonatal babies can range anywhere from premature births up to 28-days-old.”

Soons says that the rescue squad makes sure to bring experienced and qualified members to emergencies.

“We operate an ambulance service where we always have two certified EMT’s (Emergency Medical Technicians) on board,” Soons says.

Sophomore Whitney Hine, one of the rescue squad members who responded to the Lubkowitz’s call, says that it takes 100 hours of training to reach an intermediate EMT ranking. Hine says rescue squad members train once a week for one-and-a-half to two hours aside from when they are on duty.

Fire and rescue is a big commitment

Although they train a lot for neonatal emergencies, Hine says the rescue squad dedicates a considerable amount of time to training for other situations as well.

“Last week we were re-certified for CPR,” Hine says. “We deal with outdoor emergencies, drug overdoses and cardiac arrests. We train for anything we can get.”

Soons says the fire and rescue squad responds to about 2,500 calls a year, as they cover various local areas such as Essex, Williston and the Air National Guard base.

Hine says she probably dedicates about 24 to 30 hours a week to the rescue squad, and that this time is well spent, as she can face up to 10 or 12 calls during a shift.

"We're a very busy squad," Hine says. "We're the second busiest in the area."

With as many calls as they respond to, it is important for the squad to gain new members. Soons says this year has welcomed 18 fresh faces to the fire and rescue squad- nine to the fire squad and nine to the rescue squad.

"It's business as usual, we've been recruiting," Soons says. "We're interested in talking to anybody interested in a high level of community service."

Ginger says the work the fire and rescue squad performed for her family has earned them nothing but praise and respect.

"The St. Mike's crew was wonderful," she says. "I giggle now, thinking that they got to help us."