# TPR. SAVES NEWBORN



## fscpd907 (Jun 5, 2003)

Story by Boston Channel 

BOSTON -- A Massachusetts state trooper helped save the life of a baby who was born on Interstate 93 Thursday in Boston. 

NewsCenter 5's Pam Cross reported that Nezha Titebah Talal and her husband, Mohammed, were on their way to Massachusetts General Hospital when the woman gave birth in a tunnel on the highway. The couple realized that their son, Omar, was not breathing. 

The incident was caught on videotape by cameras operated by the Central Artery Authority. When Trooper Paul Gifford, a paramedic, arrived at the scene the parents were panicked. 

"The baby was between the mother's legs in the passenger side of the vehicle. The baby, initially, was not breathing, was very blue and had a lot of mucus in its nose and mouth," Gifford said. 

As the couple approached the tunnel, Mohammed Talal pulled the couple's car over as his wife gave birth. 

"Due to the large amount of mucus secretions, I wasn't sure how long the baby had not been breathing prior to me arriving. The long-term outlook was not known. Once the baby started breathing on its own and the color returned, I felt that things were looking good at that point," Gifford said. 

"Trooper Gifford, was calm and saw the baby in a stressful situation. Now, that baby and mother are doing fine at Mass General Hospital. On behalf of the Turnpike Authority and all the men and women who work here, thank you for the good job you do," Massachusetts Turnpike spokesman Matt Amorello said. 

Gifford clamped the baby's cord and wrapped the newborn up. 

"Once a baby starts breathing, it is a great relief that the baby is OK and that there is some sign of life at this point," Gifford said. 

Gifford was a full-time paramedic before joining the police force two years ago


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