Adding Light: New Life Delivered by MDA Under Fire

In their daily work, MDA teams are often exposed to pain and sorrow, but at the same time to hope, trust, and love. One of the situations that most vividly reflects this tension is childbirth outside the hospital; at the mother’s home, in an ambulance, and sometimes in a private car or even an elevator.

When a woman goes into labor before reaching the delivery room, a high level of professionalism is required, along with calm under pressure, great sensitivity, and a deep human understanding of the situation.

MDA teams have been helping babies come into the world since the organization’s founding in 1930. It is one of the most moving events they handle, and often MDA crews are later invited to the baby’s circumcision ceremony or a Zeved Habat (daughter's naming) celebration.

“She was having fairly frequent contractions,” Shoval recounted. “We prepared to evacuate her to the hospital delivery room, and before we even started driving, there was a siren due to fire from Iran. We took cover and waited, and only afterward began the evacuation.”

“I imagined this must be a very complex experience for the mother. She is not only dealing with what comes before childbirth, but also with the fear created by the sirens. We tried to ease things for her as much as possible. During the evacuation, at a central junction, another siren sounded. We carefully stopped the ambulance in a safe spot, but there really wasn’t a protected space or shelter to take cover in. As this was happening, we saw the interceptions overhead. An indescribable feeling,” he said.

Shoval and his team continued toward the delivery room, hoping they would make it without another siren, but they were forced to stop again, this time for an entirely different reason.

“At a certain point, the mother said she felt the birth was beginning, and we realized we had to help her right then and there. We delivered the baby in the ambulance. It was a completely natural birth. We warmed the ambulance in preparation for the baby’s arrival, encouraged and supported the mother, who was in a truly impossible situation, supported the newborn as he emerged, and of course checked and monitored both mother and baby. To our joy, a healthy, sweet baby boy was born despite the complex circumstances.”

“To me, it’s very symbolic that while missiles were flying in the sky - explosions, sirens, interceptions - I was helping bring new life into the world. I’m grateful I had the privilege to assist the mother in those moments,” he concluded.

“It was frightening, but that’s why we’re here. MDA employees and volunteers live for moments like these. At home, they worry,” he said when asked if he was afraid. “But my wife knows she married an MDA man and what that means. My whole family is in MDA; my father is in MDA, my parents met in MDA, my siblings are in MDA. Going out on an emergency call to someone who needs you in times like these, how should I put it? I’ll use big words: it’s a mission, it’s Zionism, it’s being Israeli. Someone has to go out and help people, so why not me?” he said with a smile.

Another moving birth took place in the city of Sderot a few weeks ago.

One day during the ninth month of her pregnancy, Yasmin Mittelberg began experiencing frequent contractions. Her husband, Yaniv, realized they would not make it to the hospital in their private car and called MDA’s 101 Emergency Dispatch Center, which dispatched a mobile intensive care unit.

“We probably wouldn’t have made it to the hospital in our private car before labor began, so we called MDA because we thought there was a better chance of getting there in time with an ambulance. We didn’t even consider the concept that the birth would happen at home, we only thought that we would get to the hospital more quickly,” Yaniv and Yasmin said.

When the MDA intensive care team - paramedics Adel Hamias, Yarin Benita, and Dvir Malul - arrived, they realized that the birth was imminent and that the best decision for Yasmin and her baby was to deliver at home.

“There’s no woman who wouldn’t panic when told she has to give birth at home suddenly,” Yasmin said. “But because of the complex history of my previous pregnancies, my fear was greater than someone else who might find herself in the same situation.”

“Thank God, we have three wonderful daughters; Ravid, Adel, and Shahar Hallel. But the road to this birth was not easy. I went through a very difficult period during which I arrived at the delivery room with great anticipation of leaving with a baby boy, but left empty-handed. Once I had a C-section and the baby passed away a few hours later. The second time, I had a stillbirth at an advanced stage of pregnancy, and after the birth of Shahar Hallel, I suffered a miscarriage. Despite everything, we never thought of giving up. We didn’t lose hope, we chose to continue believing,” Yasmin shared.

“When the MDA team arrived at my home, I didn’t understand the situation. I asked to go quickly to the hospital and didn’t realize just how close the birth really was,” Yasmin recalled. “The words of Adel, the paramedic, are still stuck in my head: ‘Going to the hospital is a greater risk for your baby than giving birth at home.’ Despite the great fear I was in, at that moment I understood I was in good hands.”

The MDA paramedic team immediately began preparing for the delivery, and after a few minutes that felt like an eternity, a small, sweet baby came into the world.

“From the moment we arrived, we knew we wouldn’t make it to the hospital in time, so we quickly prepared to deliver the baby at home. After a few minutes, the sweet baby was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. We knew we had to act fast to prevent a disaster. We released the cord and cut it, performed medical checks on the newborn, and evacuated him and Yasmin to the hospital in good condition. The pressure that overwhelmed Yasmin when we told her she would give birth at home turned into a broad smile when she saw the sweet baby,” said MDA paramedic Adel Hamias.

Eight days later, the MDA team, invited by Yaniv and Yasmin, attended the baby’s circumcision ceremony, where his name was revealed: Nitai.

“After all the attempts we went through, we are privileged to hold a circumcision ceremony in joy and deep gratitude for all the miracles and challenges along the way, and we wish him the strength to turn weakness into great power, and to be a child with special strengths,” Yaniv said to those gathered.

He added, “I want to thank the special guests who are here with us: the dear MDA paramedics Adel, Yarin, and Dvir, who were the best messengers, professional and precise in the situation we found ourselves in. For those who don’t know, Yasmin gave birth at home on the living room floor, and honestly, it felt as if we had an entire team of midwives with 20 years of experience with us. Everything was done calmly, gently, and with care. Keep saving lives and helping bring life into the world. People always say to couples, ‘May you leave with full hands.’ In our case, we entered the hospital with full hands and left with full hands.”

A great light.