From left: Emergency Department nurses Rich Henlotter, Rachael Randall and Kate D’Innocenzo were among those who responded to a mother in labor outside the ED.

As soon as Kate D’Innocenzo, MSN, BSN, FNP, began her shift in the Brigham Emergency Department (ED) on a recent spring morning, she knew it was going to be another action-packed day.

To help accommodate high patient volume that day, D’Innocenzo and her colleagues were reassigned to the Arlington pod near the front of the ED, a detail that would soon become crucial.

“The day started off very overwhelming,” she recalled. “The feeling was that this was going to be a tough day, but we were working with a great group of people.”

Then, as she and her colleagues were getting organized for their shift, something unexpected occurred: Triage nurse Rich Henlotter, BSN, RN, poked his head out of his office and called out, “Someone is having a baby out front!”

Everyone nearby — including ED nurses, technicians, physician assistants and physicians — immediately sprang into action.

“It was lucky that everyone was in that one area. Normally, no one would be, but it worked out with us getting moved over there,” D’Innocenzo said. “As I’m running, I’m thinking to myself, ‘Oh gosh, what do I need to get?’ I ran by a cart and grabbed a handful of towels and gloves, and I tried to get out there as fast as possible.”

Rachael Randall, MSN, BSN, RN, Alex Tonkonogy, MPAS, PA-C, Adam Raphael, MPAS, PA-C, and Cara Buchanan, MD, were also among those who initially responded. The team arrived in the plaza to find that the mother had delivered the baby in the car already.

“Everyone worked together, knew their roles, stayed calm and got the family where they needed to be,” Tonkonogy said. “It just proves that when these situations come about, we have good systems and processes in place, and people are ready to jump into action whenever the time comes.”

A former postpartum nurse, D’Innocenzo wrapped the baby in a towel and asked a colleague to get a suction bulb to help clear the baby’s airways. A few moments later, the Code OB Team arrived to care for and transport the mother and baby.

“All of a sudden, there were cheers and clapping,” D’Innocenzo said. “The mom was in utter shock, but she did such a great job.”

Valet Supervisor Khadda El Bouazzaoui and Plaza Manager Geylor Espinal rushed to the scene to help the family gather their belongings and park their car, while also managing other traffic in the plaza.

The event, though lasting just five minutes, provided a heartwarming counterweight to the day’s capacity challenges, D’Innocenzo said.

“You always have to be ready for anything here, which is what I love about the ER,” she said. “It was a tough day but also a special one. It brightened everyone’s day that we were able to help this family. It also reaffirmed for me that no matter what is happening in the ER, we always come together. Everyone here wants to help.”