Massachusetts Woman Delivers Son in Ambulance Without Knowing She Was Pregnant

Alysha MacDougall, 33, delivered her son Julian in an ambulance on January 26 while en route to the hospital during blizzard conditions, @ABC reported. She had been taking pregnancy tests that returned negative results and was receiving treatment for polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, a condition that can affect fertility and contribute to unrecognized pregnancies.

MacDougall experienced a traffic accident the day before the birth but did not seek medical care.

The following morning she awoke with severe abdominal pain, began bleeding, and briefly lost consciousness. Emergency responders transported her by ambulance, where she gave birth. Her fiancé, Carl Pina, learned of the delivery by phone while driving to the hospital.

Doctors estimated Julian was born between 22 and 23 weeks gestation and weighed just under one pound. He arrived at Tufts Medical Center in Boston critically ill, requiring intubation on a specialized ventilator, along with support for his lungs, eyes, adrenal glands, and blood pressure. His skin was described as very thin and gelatinous.

MacDougall and Pina decided to pursue every available intervention to save their son. Julian remained in the neonatal intensive care unit for 154 days. He was discharged on June 29 weighing nearly 10 pounds, alert, interactive, and bottle feeding, with no bleeding around the brain.

He left the hospital on oxygen support. The survival rate for infants born at this gestational age and size is approximately 15 percent, according to Dr. Jaclyn Boulais, medical director of the NICU at Tufts Medical Center.