Pregnant on Amtrak

[coleallen]

I’ve actually observed a birth on Amtrak. Back in March 2019, I was riding on the California Zephyr from Davis to Glenwood Springs and on the same train, there was a pregnant 19 year old girl riding in the same sleeping car as me that gave birth to a baby on the train. The girl and her boyfriend (both aged 19) were having a baby before they were ready to and they were both sophomores at SFSU. I made great conversation with them and the reason for their trip was because the girl, whose family lives in Denver wanted to go home just before her due date so her parents could help out with the delivery. However, the airline companies said no to her flying because her due date of April 3rd was almost there (she was in the last 5 weeks of her third trimester). The couple had to resort to going by Amtrak instead, so they reserved a Roomette from Emeryville to Denver, then they boarded the California Zephyr train #6 on March 29th, and I met them sitting next to them in the observation car. I talked to them quite a lot about Amtrak and made them familiar with the way Amtrak travel works since that was their first time (I’m an experienced passenger). They enjoyed talking to me very much and I also put my hand on the girl’s pregnant belly (the baby was really moving a lot) We then went to sleep that night at around 9:30 PM.

During the night at 1 AM, I was suddenly woken up by the boyfriend (he knocked on my sleeper compartment door) and he was running around panicking. The girl was laying in her roomette crying out in pain. Her water apparently broke just then and the baby was starting to come out, causing a huge panic as she was now in labor. The boyfriend was asking me for help since I’m an expert with Amtrak. The boyfriend and I both woke up the Sleeping Car Attendant to alert him about this, and then he went to get the conductor. Unfortunately, the train was speeding through a remote desert location in Utah between Elko, NV and SLC (around the salt flats) where it would take a long time for paramedics to reach the train. The sleeping car attendant (Justin Woods) volunteered to deliver the baby for her since he knew how it was done by previously watching videos on the internet about baby delivery. The girl hoped the sleeping car attendant could do it and didn't feel she had a choice, so the attendant went to the first aid kid, got his gloves on, squeezed himself into the sleeper compartment, and the girl started pushing. I was standing right there the whole time holding her left leg and also video recording this with her boyfriend’s phone at their request so that there would be proof later on. Justin gently pulled the baby out from her cervix resulting in the birth of a health baby girl (awww) and she as well as her boyfriend were relieved and VERY grateful of Justin for doing something incredibly brave and heroic for them. They actually named the baby Emma Amtrak Burns-Knight (with both their last names and Amtrak being the middle name to remind people of the fact that she was born on a train). The umbilical cord could not be cut right then and there since they did not have the proper scissors and clamps, but all that mattered at that moment was getting the baby out. Cutting the cord had to wait until they got to the hospital. The train eventually stopped at a railroad crossing where fire and police were waiting for us. A helicopter was actually deployed out to the train to pick up the girl and her newborn since the nearest hospital was far away. 5 paramedics and firefighters came onboard the train, then the 5 of them and me picked her up and carried her down the stairs (with the baby attached to her and on top of her chest), and then outside the train where we placed her on a gurney. It was nice and warm inside the train, but it was freezing cold outside since it was 1:30 in the morning AND during the winter. I walked with them to the helicopter and just before the girl was loaded in on the gurney, I said goodbye, wishing them all well. She was then placed in the helicopter and after their bags were removed from the baggage car, and brought to the helicopter, the helicopter took off and airlifted the three of them away from the train to the nearest hospital which was in Salt Lake City - an hour away from where the train stopped.

They eventually got treated and made it back home and when they did, the girl called the Sleeping Car Attendant's boss and explained what an incredibly fabulous job Justin had done and suggesting that he get recognized for this as well as a raise and a promotion. I’ve remained in contact with this girl through Facebook and I’ve also seen her and her baby in person a couple times in person as I live only an hour away from San Francisco where they love. What do you all think about this whole story? I’ve told this story to a number of Amtrak staff and they all say it happens more frequently than I think. One Amtrak attendant told me that he’s worked for Amtrak for 36 years and he delivered 3 babies during his career at Amtrak (all of which were from pregnant women riding in his sleeping car) and according to him, this happens 4 to 6 times a year. Every 2 or 3 months, somewhere in the US, a baby is born on an Amtrak train. Most likely because pregnant females in their third trimester can’t fly, so they use the train instead. Some questions I had were:

1. If any of this happened to you where you suddenly went into labor on an Amtrak train and the baby was delivered by an Amtrak attendant or a conductor, would you be grateful of the staff member who delivered your baby?

2. If so, would you put Amtrak as the baby’s middle name or name it after the Amtrak employee?

3. Would you contact the attendant’s employer and advocate that he be recognized/rewarded for that?

4. If you were his boss, how would you reward him for delivering a baby on the train? Who is the supervisor of all those sleeping car attendants and other staff that work in the OBS crew anyway?

 

[me_little_me]

Hope she gave Justin a BIG tip. Better yet, hope the insurance company did. (FAT CHANCE. They probably denied the paramedic and helicopter costs!)

 

[flitcraft]

What an amazing experience! This is one trip I'm sure you will never forget. Now, as to your questions:

1. I suppose it depends on the outcome, right?
2. Amtrak as a middle name? Nope, but Justine in this case would seem fine.
3. I've contacted Amtrak and given kudos for employees for a lot less.
4. If the employees are unionized, I imagine that raises/bonuses are already covered by the collective bargaining agreement. But maybe a special parking place for 'employee of the month'...

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

The de facto supervisor of the On-Board Service Personal is the Dinning Car Steward (LSA).

As for the rest I am going to stay away from it.

However thanks for posting your story. I did enjoy it.

 

[jloewen]

Justine in this case would seem fine.

Many kids get TWO last names, and if "Justine" were followed by "Time" that would be appropriate.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

I think the SCA deserves a huge tip, a good raise, and the best commendation possible.

However, I believe that no train employee should be put in such a horrible position.

I do wonder why any responsible person would travel when they were that pregnant. Stay home, have the kid, take care of it properly, and travel with it when it is old enough to travel safely.

Not only was the SCA put in an awful position, but imagine the cleanup necessary afterward so that the next passenger would not be completely disgusted being in a filthy room.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Hope she gave Justin a BIG tip. Better yet, hope the insurance company did. (FAT CHANCE. They probably denied the paramedic and helicopter costs!)

The couple chose to travel when it was risky and in a manner with which they had no familiarity. Could they really not travel sooner or bring the parents to where they were living instead? I'm glad everything worked out in the end, but in my view the cost of the helicopter flight and any related services should be on the people who chose to create this situation in the first place. I'm also rather doubtful that Amtrak OBS are setup to remove bodily fluids from carpets and mattresses in a manner that meets modern safety standards. I may not speak for everyone, but I'd prefer not to be placed in a room where a baby had recently been birthed without a proper cleaning.

 

[flitcraft]

Actually, I do have sympathy here for the parents. She was more than a month away from her due date--the odds of a premature birth, especially for a first baby, were very low. People with risk factors for serious illness take trains all the time--just look at the demographics among sleeper passengers--and there's no judgmental tsk-tsking there. I suspect Amtrak sees more heart attacks and strokes than it does live births.

As for the cleanup, I agree that Amtrak would need to clean up the room well before allowing the next passengers to use it. But I imagine that they have had experience cleaning rooms where people have over-indulged and been ill. Probably the easiest fix in both cases is to discard the mattresses. Though, come to think of it, they must have experience in removing bodily fluids from mattresses, notwithstanding the demographics of sleeper passengers.

 

[trainman74]

I think "Zephyr" would have made for a better middle name. (I also like the "Justine" suggestion.)

 

[Thirdrail7]

I may not speak for everyone, but I'd prefer not to be placed in a room where a baby had recently been birthed without a proper cleaning.

They would normally close off the room for future use in these circumstances, which means downgrades. That also gets under the skin of the next group of riders.

 

[SarahZ]

Actually, I do have sympathy here for the parents. She was more than a month away from her due date--the odds of a premature birth, especially for a first baby, were very low.

Her due date was April 3, and they departed on March 29.

That is cutting it WAY too close, especially considering the remote terrain the CZ travels through. You could barely coax me away from home at that point, and if we absolutely had to travel, I would demand sticking to major freeways so we could pull off and get to a hospital right away (or at least be within 20-30 minutes of an ambulance's arrival).

She is seriously lucky she didn't have any complications. I do give her kudos for doing it not only without drugs but also while crammed into a roomette.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I do give her kudos for doing it not only without drugs but also while crammed into a roomette.

Not that she had any choice. At least nobody told her to cross her legs till emergency personnel arrived (like my mother was told back in '44 when they were waiting for the doctor to arrive).

I had my first born w/o drugs and only had the drugs with my second because I had been induced, which was more painful, for me at least, than natural labor.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

She is seriously lucky she didn't have any complications. I do give her kudos for doing it not only without drugs but also while crammed into a roomette.

Reread the story there was a leg hanging out in the hallway.

90% of births need a midwife, 9.999% need a Doctor, 0.001% need a hospital. Ok not a real quote, but that what I use to tell the women when I was assigned to the LD unit. The most important part is a new born baby is very slippery. Don’t drop the baby.

 

[SarahZ]

Not that she had any choice. At least nobody told her to cross her legs till emergency personnel arrived (like my mother was told back in '44 when they were waiting for the doctor to arrive).

I had my first born w/o drugs and only had the drugs with my second because I had been induced, which was more painful, for me at least, than natural labor.

Oh, I get that. Babies are going to come whether you're ready or not.

I meant that I personally cannot imagine giving birth without major drugs (early and often), so anyone who goes through that and does it while crammed into a taxi/roomette/any other uncomfortable situation with strangers, etc. gets a lot of respect from me. That's one of my worst nightmares.

 

[SarahZ]

Reread the story there was a leg hanging out in the hallway.

I know. I think people misunderstood my intention. I think she's amazing for giving birth in a roomette instead of the (relative) comfort of a L&D bed/ball/tub/whatever.

But I also think it was a terrible decision to travel that close to her due date. I do give her a bit of a pass, though, because lord knows I didn't always make the best decisions at 19.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Not try to give you a hard time Sarah. A lot of interesting things occur back in day of working medical. The whole leg stick out in the hallway thing brings back a lot of memories. Most good, for everyone involved. However still annoyed at the lady who caused me to miss the closing of the Dining hall, when she just had to deliver the baby in front of the LD entrance door.

 

[flitcraft]

Oops, misread the story. I picked up on the "last five weeks of the third trimester" and completely blew past the actual dates given later on. My bad...

But I was reminded of my own L and D situation; at the time we were living a ferry ride away from the nearest maternity facility, so we were told to have a large garbage bag in the trunk of the car filled with newspapers. Supposedly newspapers are sterile (or so they assured me!) and the combination of newspapers and plastic bag was intended to assist cleanup if I went into labor in our car on the road or waiting for the ferry. Of course, this was long, long before cellphones, so my poor husband was instructed on the basics of delivering a baby just in case he had to spring into action. Luckily, we had plenty of warning, as it happened--a thirty hour labor. Good times...

 

[Qapla]

Since most "first time"mothers take a long time in labor they may have felt they had time for the trip ... although I don't think we would have taken a trip that close to delivery (maybe that "had" to take the trip)

For our first child my wife was only in labor for 4 hours before she gave birth - so, who knows, maybe that girl is like my wife (BTW - our first was also her longest labor time)

 

[me_little_me]

I'm glad everything worked out in the end, but in my view the cost of the helicopter flight and any related services should be on the people who chose to create this situation in the first place.

Just remember that when you get old and need emergency transport because your problem was caused by what you chose to do or your food lifestyle or other issue that was your fault. Think about it.
I totaled my car once in a skid in the rain. Luckily neither of us were hurt. I got a ticket for "driving too fast for conditions" even though it was under the speed limit. No matter how slow you go, if you skid, you are going too fast for conditions and therefore it's likely your own fault. So you should pay for the car repair and any emergency services yourself, in your opinion?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

So as an old man I make questionable health choices leading a doctor to inform me that I will have an elevated risk of emergency for a period of time. I ignore this warning and choose to travel during the high risk window anyway, but the airlines are wise to my folly and refuse to sell me a ticket. Rather than accepting my situation and making do or bringing the other party to my location I choose another method of travel that passes through many miles of limited medical services along the way. When everyone else is sleeping I suffer a predictable and avoidable emergency that drags other passengers, staff, and first responders into the mix and requires an airborne ambulance to carry me back to civilization. Yeah, I think that's on me.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Some of us live in a galaxy that very unforgiving.

 

[ehbowen]

 

[Barb Stout]

So as an old man I make questionable health choices leading a doctor to inform me that I will have an elevated risk of emergency for a period of time. I ignore this warning and choose to travel during the high risk window anyway, but the airlines are wise to my folly and refuse to sell me a ticket. Rather than accepting my situation and making do or bringing the other party to my location I choose another method of travel that passes through many miles of limited medical services along the way. When everyone else is sleeping I suffer a predictable and avoidable emergency that drags other passengers, staff, and first responders into the mix and requires an airborne ambulance to carry me back to civilization. Yeah, I think that's on me.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if they did end up with the entire bill. I'm remembering what a park ranger told me about the costs of emergency evacuation by helicopter of hikers who fell or got sick while hiking into the Grand Canyon. It was extremely expensive and it was indeed on the hiker. I therefore did not attempt to do any hiking into the canyon, but hadn't been seriously tempted even before hearing that. Maybe he was lying or mistaken or exaggerating, but regardless, I considered myself forewarned.

 

[Barb Stout]

With regard to cleaning up the roomette after a birth, do hospitals use those non-absorbent vinyl-like beds in their L&D departments? And how is all the blood and body fluids cleaned up? Are towels used, then washed and bleached or is everything disposable? There was someone on this thread who had worked in L&D. Perhaps s/he could comment.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Some of us live in a galaxy that very unforgiving.

We all live in a very unforgiving galaxy, both literally and metaphorically. I have no specific problem with anything that happened, and I'm genuinely glad it all worked out in the end, I just don't feel like sharing the burden for risky behavior under an adversarial profit-driven insurance system. If we had a national single-payer plan with more rational pricing I might feel differently.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if they did end up with the entire bill. I'm remembering what a park ranger told me about the costs of emergency evacuation by helicopter of hikers who fell or got sick while hiking into the Grand Canyon. It was extremely expensive and it was indeed on the hiker. I therefore did not attempt to do any hiking into the canyon, but hadn't been seriously tempted even before hearing that. Maybe he was lying or mistaken or exaggerating, but regardless, I considered myself forewarned.

I looked into this and read that a typical helicopter ambulance fee runs between $10,000 and $30,000. Longer flights to and from distant rural locations are the most expensive of all. I believe that's the sort of cost that should be saved for unlikely and unavoidable calamities rather than poor planning and risky behavior.