4 minute read
Ed Newton, RT
from Heroes 2022
STORY & PHOTOS BY JILL HOLLOWAY
Coming to the baby’s rescue
Respiratory Therapist Edwin (Ed) Newton has been experiencing the miracle of birth for 30 years, helping resuscitate premature babies or babies born via C-Section.
Any mother who has had a traumatic birthing experience can tell you that Memorial Hospital and Manor Respiratory Therapist, Edwin (Ed) Newton is a real life hero.
Newton has been with MHM for 35 years and previously served as the director of the Respiratory Therapy Unit for 15 years.
Since working at MHM, Newton has been to hundreds of births and experienced the miracle of life countless time.
“We go to every C-Section,” he explained. “Rather it’s a primary or secondary C-Section, we go to all of them.”
In addition to going to every C-Section, Newton said he and his team also go to every vaginal birth when the baby is premature or if the doctor suspects there may be a problem.
“We step in for the Pediatrician,” Newton said. “We are able to intubate the babies, perform CPR on the babies and do the initial assessment.”
Although the RTs can’t do anything without the doctor’s permission, they are often needed, due to their CPR experience and certifi cation in Neonatal Resuscitation.
Through their extensive training and presence in the delivery room, Newton said RTs have had almost a 100 percent success rate with resuscitation.
“I had a baby born that was only two pounds that I had to intubate, and I’m happy to say that it was a success,”
Respiratory Therapist Ed Newton stands outside his offi ce with the equipment he takes to every C-Section.
Newton exclaimed.
Newton did explain that there are some cases where babies come out of the womb with problems that developed in utero.
“We’ve had babies come out with no heartbeat and not breathing, and we were able to work with the nurses and we’re able to turn them around, or stabilize them and get them to Phoebe,” Newton said.
According to Newton, Phoebe has a close working relationship with MHM’s Respiratory Therapist Department, as they have worked some very serious cases with them.
“They (Phoebe) know when they get here that we’ve already done everything we can, and they can just take over what we’ve started,” Newton said.
Newton said he was working a delivery, when a baby was born with the intestines on the outside of the body, while the legs and arms were deformed.
“Phoebe came down with a Neonatologist and did everything they could after we fi nished, and as far as I know that baby survived,” Newton shared.
Even with 35 years of experience, Newton still has a hard time with the cases he wasn’t successful in for whatever reason.
“They may have passed in utero, but we still try to get them at out and do chest compressions and intubate them, but if it doesn’t work it really bothers the whole staff,” Newton lamented. “When it’s an older person in their 80’s and 90’s, they have lived a good life and you know it was their time, but when it’s a newborn you take it personally.”
According to Newton, when this does happen, the RTs all gather together and discuss what could have been done differently and would it have made a difference. In addition, the team reviews what happened to the baby in utero that they possibly had no control over.
“We just want to know we did all we could,” he said.
Newton has also had babies come through the ER with SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), and despite his best efforts, he just had no control over the outcome.
Sometimes, even if the baby doesn’t survive, Newton is still able to give life to the child long enough to let the parents meet them, which is something the parents will forever remember.
One particular birth Newton still can recount was when he went to a C-Section for a baby girl born with no brain, as her skull had sunken in.
Newton knew the baby could not survive, despite it being full term, but wanted to give the parents an opportunity to have 30 minutes to hold her.
This experience, along with countless others, allowed Newton to improve his skills, eventually leading to far more success stories.
“We will have parents come up to us years later and share their kids are now doing fi ne, thanks to our team,” Newton said.
While Newton does not consider himself a hero and said he’s just doing his job, he said it wouldn’t be possible to even have the success he’s had without his team.
“There’s no I in this; it’s all teamwork,” he said. “You as an individual might make a difference, but it’s the team that does the whole thing.”
