Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don Neubacher presented the U.S. Department of the Interior Exemplary Act Award to Ranger Heidi Schlichting
Photo Credit: NPS
December 1, 2015 - Congratulations to Ranger Heidi Schlichting, who received the U.S. Department of the Interior Exemplary Act Award for saving a life during a field childbirth with complications.
Early on the morning of June 5, 2013, Ranger/Paramedic Heidi Schlichting was one of three Wawona rangers who responded to a medical emergency at a local residence; Ranger Schlichting was the first provider on scene. When she arrived at the residence, she found a scared and confused young woman who was giving birth and was very emotionally unstable. The woman was in a small hallway bathroom, making access and providing care difficult.
Ranger Schlichting saw that a foot had delivered, and immediately recognized it as a breech birth, a potentially dire situation. Knowing that breech births typically come with complications and can be very difficult, she initially thought transport to a hospital would be the best option. However, after only a few minutes, and before the ambulance arrived, the infant’s second foot and legs delivered. At that point, recognizing that delivery was imminent, Heidi coached the mother resulting in the torso, arms, and shoulders being delivered with the baby positioned face down. The infant’s legs and arms were blue, a sign of inadequate oxygenation. Approximately two minutes later, the head delivered and a baby girl was born. The infant was limp and unresponsive to Ranger Schlichting’s initial attempts to stimulate it. She then quickly suctioned the infant’s airway and began ventilating with a bag valve mask. After several minutes, the infant began taking breaths and giving weak cries. Ranger Schlichting then continued to assist ventilations until the baby was breathing adequately and became much less cyanotic.
The mother and her newborn daughter were then taken by ambulance to a hospital, where they recovered. It was later determined the infant had been born prematurely, at approximately 37 weeks. The pregnancy was unknown to the mother, let alone the knowledge that the baby was breech, and there had been no prenatal care. Ranger Schlichting’s proficient EMS skills, quick thinking, and calming bedside manner were critical in the successful outcome of this unstable and rapidly evolving situation. This was Ranger Schlichting’s second field delivery and her first involving birth complications.
Source: NPS
Related information:
Three Yosemite National Park Rangers Receive Emergency Response Awards from Mariposa County Health Department
