CYPRESS, Texas - Cy-Fair paramedics are getting lots of love in one Copperfield home.
They’re not only credited with delivering the family’s baby, but also saving the baby’s and mother’s lives.
It was around 1:30 a.m. when paramedics Joy Topel and Stephen Brooks first got the dispatch call.
“We got a call for an immediate delivery,” Topel said.
When they arrived at the Rijan family’s home, mom Noemi was on the couch.
“She had two contractions, and by the third one, she was able to push the baby out,” Topel said.
They quickly realized, however, the 6-pound, 11-ounce baby girl “really wasn’t breathing, didn’t look good at all,” according to Stephen Brooks, a paramedic still in training with Cy-Fair.
“Suction to her mouth and nose, she still wasn’t responding," Topel said. "Tried to backslapping, trying to stimulate her to get her to cry. She was just limp."
For several terrifying minutes, they worked on reviving her. Finally, “Baby Ruth” cried.
It was the sweetest sound for dad, David Rijan.
“When a baby cries, you know it’s healthy. You know it has a full life. It has full energy,” he said.
At that time, though, mom Noemi wasn’t well.
“It was scary,” David Rijan said.
“She was losing too much blood,” Topel said.
They rushed her to the hospital, and today, everyone’s home and in love with the new baby.
“Thanks to the paramedics, they brought her back,” David Rijan said.
For paramedic Brooks – a rookie – the whole experience “was incredible.” He’s only been on the job for two weeks.
It was the first delivery, too, for Topel. She’s been on the job for about a year.
“It was very rewarding. It was awesome," she said.
The family is thankful the quick-thinking crew arrived when they did.
“Thank you for a good job, excellent job," Noemi Rijan said.
It is the fourth baby for dad and the third for mom. Baby Ruth is now an important part of everyone’s lives, including the paramedics’.