Baby Zora’s freeway arrival

Little Zora’s arrival into the world didn’t quite go to plan, with mum Preeti telling her husband to pull over on the Princes Freeway so she could push. At the Laverton exit, Zora was born in the back of an ambulance.

To celebrate his first birthday, Zora got to meet the Ambulance Victoria (AV) paramedics who brought him into the world.

It was about 1am on 28 October 2024 when Preeti woke up and knew she had to head to hospital quickly.

“We had been in the car for about 10 minutes when I said I couldn’t wait any longer, I had to push,” she said.

“My husband, Sunny, started panicking and pulled over and called for an ambulance.”

The couple’s second child was also welcomed into the world with ambulance support, in New Zealand, with the baby delivered just after their arrival at hospital.

“This is our third child so I would have thought he’d had some experience,” Preeti laughed.

AV paramedics Nerida Boci and Mitch Psaila came just in time.

“When we arrived, there was no obvious crowning, so I got mum up and onto the stretcher, and I expected to make it to hospital,” Nerida said.

“I lifted the stretcher up and the second I pushed it into the ambulance, she started to groan.

“I looked and witnessed the baby start to crown and within two minutes, the baby had been delivered.”

It was Nerida’s first baby delivery – a highlight in any paramedic’s career.

“It was such a beautiful moment. It’s nice to assist with bringing a life into the world. This is a case I’ll never forget and will always hold dear to my heart,” she said.

Nerida said despite the location, the birth went as perfectly as you could hope.

“As paramedics, when we attend a birth, we prepare for every possible scenario. That includes being ready to manage any complications or sudden deterioration in either mum or baby,” she said.

“We had all the newborn resuscitation equipment set up and were continuously monitoring mum’s vital signs throughout the delivery. We were also alert to the possibility of a breech presentation. Post birth, we assessed baby’s APGAR score and ensured they were stable and didn’t require any assisted ventilations.

“At this point, the situation changed from having one patient to two, so we had our hands full. But we couldn’t have asked for a better birth – especially on the side of a freeway!”

Zora is now a happy and healthy one-year-old but will have to wait a bit longer to understand the story of his dramatic arrival.

Preeti said her family is now complete.

“My first baby, my daughter, was an 18- or 19-hour labour. The next two have been very quick, particularly Zora,” Preeti said.

“I want to say thank you to the paramedics for being so patient and amazing.

“And thank you to my husband – he was amazing even though he didn’t imagine me giving birth on the freeway, so it was a bit of a shock.”