Paramedic Delivers Wife’s Baby in Ambulance Amid Traffic to Jerusalem Hospital

Last week in Beit Shemesh, Yitzhak (Izzy) Bendahan and his wife Yael faced an urgent childbirth situation. Yael, 36 and in advanced seventh pregnancy, began experiencing contractions and water breaking. Due to heavy traffic en route to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, the couple used an ambulance owned by Yitzhak, who serves as a paramedic with Magen David Adom (MDA). Yael lay on the ambulance stretcher while Yitzhak drove.

As labor progressed rapidly, Yael alerted Yitzhak that they would not reach the hospital in time. With about ten minutes remaining to the hospital, Yitzhak decided to assist with the delivery himself. Having delivered around 150 babies in the Beit Shemesh area over his ten years with MDA, he was experienced in childbirth emergencies. The couple’s daughter, Liora, was born healthy inside the ambulance.

Yitzhak reflected on the unique experience, saying it was unforgettable to deliver his own child, especially given his extensive paramedic background. Yael added that despite the unexpected setting, the birth was a special moment, with Yitzhak present as always. Liora was born during the Jewish mourning period of the Nine Days, a time of darkness, which the couple sees as symbolic since she brings light and joy to their family, including their six other children and a six-year-old sister.

The story highlights the challenges of emergency childbirth amid traffic and the vital role of paramedics in Israel’s high-birthrate cities like Beit Shemesh. The couple’s experience underscores both the unpredictability of childbirth and the strength of their partnership as they approach 18 years of marriage.