Special Delivery Arrives in Gardena ED

Congratulations to the Memorial Hospital of Gardena Emergency Department team for the successful delivery and prompt care of a 1.7-pound baby girl and her mother Jan. 21. Dr. John Henderson (not pictured) delivered the premature baby.

A small and very special delivery arrived in the Emergency Department at Memorial Hospital of Gardena Jan. 21.

EMS brought to the hospital a young woman who was found on the street. She said she was having a baby, and she complained of leg pain. The ED team observed a vaginal bleed and determined that she was in active labor.

“All departments showed tremendous teamwork and delivered a 24-week, 1.7-pound baby girl,” said Antaures Osborne, RN, director of emergency services at the Gardena hospital.

“They were able to establish an IV and give D10 (strong sugar water) for the baby’s low glucose. Then a physician and nurses from Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital arrived and transferred the mother and baby in record time,” she added.

According to Osborne, the NICU physician called a few days later with an update on the baby’s progress.

“He said she never needed intubation, she was tolerating the feeding, and her vitals were stable,” Osborne said. “He congratulated our Gardena team for an amazing job.”

Osborne reports that the ED team has delivered a baby before, but this one was a tiny premature baby that should have been delivered at a hospital that specializes in Labor and Delivery.

“We always try to get our laboring patients transferred before they deliver since we no longer have a labor and delivery unit,” she said.  “This delivery was very high risk, and the team worked together so well. The mother was only 24 weeks along, and it was a shock to everyone that she was even pregnant.” 

2.7.2024