Baby delivered in Ness Ziona shopping center clinic by ophthalmologist

“This was the first baby I delivered since graduating from medical school over 20 years ago,” says doctor.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Newborn at Kaplan and Dr. Sarah Kropsky in eye clinic. (photo credit: Courtesy)
Newborn at Kaplan and Dr. Sarah Kropsky in eye clinic.
(photo credit: Courtesy)
An experienced ophthalmologist working in a Clalit Health Services eye clinic in a Ness Ziona shopping center was turned into an obstetrician last week when she delivered the baby of a patient who had come in for an eye exam.
“This was the first baby I delivered since graduating from medical school over 20 years ago,” said Dr. Sarah Kropsky after the surprising event. A few years ago, Kropsky had performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a patient who came to the clinic and lost consciousness.
This time, the pregnant woman, in her 20s, went to the public toilet in the shopping center  and screamed for help. The ophthalmologist was alerted and rushed into the bathroom. She delivered a 3.5-kilo healthy baby girl and wrapped her in a doctor’s coat.
The baby was cleaned up and examined by a Magen David Adom medic, who cut the umbilical cord and took mother and baby by ambulance to Kaplan Medical Center, where the baby was warmed and weighed and the mother was examined.
The new mother said about her first baby’s birth: “I saw a woman running towards me saying: ‘I am a doctor. Everything will be OK.’ After a few minutes of pushing and breathing according to her instructions, the baby was out. She put her down on me. Thank God, everything is OK.”
Kaplan midwife Avivit Karni said that if a woman goes into labor outside of a hospital, call MDA immediately and any doctor or midwife you know who lives in the vicinity. Until medical help arrives, lie the woman on a bed or a mattress if she is at home. If she’s in a vehicle, put her down on the back seat and make sure the baby doesn’t fall on the floor. Advise the woman to try to relax, close her eyes and concentrate on slow, deep breaths.
When the baby’s head emerges, wait until it turns upward. Then the shoulders and the whole body should appear. Wipe the baby and cover it with a blanket to keep it warm. Never cut the umbilical cord without a sterile knife. If you have a sterile gauze, it can be used to tie the cord, but wait for MDA to cut it. One should wait until the placenta emerges spontaneously, after which one can massage the abdomen in circular motions to cause the uterus to contract and prevent hemorrhages.
Neither Clalit nor Kaplan mentioned whether the baby and mother will get free eye tests for the rest of their lives.