A baby was born in an ambulance from the Lousada Volunteer Fire Department during transport to the hospital emergency this Thursday. The newly born Carlota and her mother received support from the VMER team of Sousa Valley.
© Volunteer Firefighters in Lousada/Facebook
05/11/2026
by
News to Minutes
Uma baby was born in an ambulance of the Volunteer Firefighters of Lousada, in the district of Porto, after the corporation was called to “provide assistance to a pregnant woman”, during this Thursday.
In a note, shared on social networks, the Lousada Volunteer Firefighters said that “during the transportation to the hospital emergency room, the baby decided that it was time to meet the world and was born on board” the ambulance.
“Little Carlota has thus come to the world, at a very special and certainly unforgettable moment for all involved”, reads.
Subsequently, a team from the Emergency Medical Vehicle and Resuscitation of the Sousa Valley, which “also provided support and assistance to the newborn”.
This was a “different occurrence” for firefighters Pedro Ferreira and Marco Teixeira, who had a “happy ending” and “will certainly remain in the memory” of the operatives.
“To little Carlota, we wish the best of luck, and to the family, many joys in this new stage!”, highlighted the Volunteer Firefighters of Lousada.
Parted in ambulances more than doubled in 2025
At least 60 babies were born in ambulances in Portugal in 2025 alone. This is an increase of 114%, since in 2024 28 births had been registered in these circumstances, according to data from the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) sent to the public. There's still 23 births on the public road.
Of all deliveries in ambulances and public roads, almost half (36) occurred in the region of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo.
In January, however, the Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, argued that the number of births outside the hospitals in Portugal is similar to that of the last decade, most occurring at home.
“ The numbers are similar to the last years, except for the pandemic in which there were more extra-hospital deliveries, for the reasons that are understood. Therefore, there is no major change in the number of out-of-hospital deliveries. That is, the number is significantly the same as in the last decade,” the minister said after attending the “Future Health in Europe” conference in Porto.
According to Ana Paula Martins, “most of the out-of-hospital deliveries do not occur on the public road, fortunately, nor do they occur in ambulances. It occurs at home”, adding that, for this reason, “INEM [National Institute of Medical Emergency] ends up being called to solve situations that are complicated”.