Fla. Couple Praise Paramedics Who Saved Mom, Infant

March 23--Baby Seybian's debut was tumultuous and terrifying -- his life was in danger when his mother developed a potentially deadly condition moments before his birth that caused sudden vision loss and seizures.

On Thursday, the infant rested peacefully in his father's arms oblivious to media cameras as his parents, Sabrina and Jordan Dornellas, tried to raise awareness about eclampsia, the condition that threatened the lives of mother and baby on Jan. 31.

The grateful parents also wanted to recognize the Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue paramedics who treated Sabrina Dornellas, 28, at her Loxahatchee home when she experienced a severe headache followed by blurred vision and convulsions. It happened three days before Seybian's due date.

"Everything escalated out of nowhere," Sabrina Dornellas recalled.

She awoke suddenly and stirred her husband, but couldn't focus on his face. He prompted her to breathe and tried to brace her, but Sabrina began convulsing, bit her tongue and became blue in the face.

"That was the big 'Oh, I think I just lost my wife' moment," said Jordan Dornellas, 27, adding that the feeling was too terrifying to describe.

As paramedics tried to stabilize Sabrina Dornellas, the baby boy was already on his way. But mom could not focus on verbal commands to help her with the labor, paramedics said.

She blacked out for about 10 hours, she said, unaware that she had delivered her baby in an ambulance outside Palms West Hospital.

Jordan Dornellas arrived at the hospital following the delivery and saw a nurse run toward an elevator with a baby -- it was his, she said. He followed her, but felt conflicted not knowing his wife's condition, he said.

"I'm stoked he's there, but I couldn't soak it in," he said.

He learned both were healthy. The eclampsia subsided with the birth of the baby.

The onset of the condition, which occurs usually during late pregnancy, came as a surprise to Sabrina Dornellas, who described her pregnancy up to that point as "flawless"-- with no morning sickness even.

Eclampsia is marked by high-blood pressure, swelling and a high level of protein in urine. It affects about 10 percent of pregnant women.

Even though the couple had prepared to deliver their baby with the help of a mid-wife at home, those unfulfilled expectations no longer mattered, the mother said.

"I'm just grateful to be here. We're healthy, we're alive; so I could care less," she said. Jokingly, she added, because she could not remember the birth of her son: "I guess if there's a pain-free delivery that was it."

Firefighter paramedic John Lupoli said that knowing he's helped make a difference in the family's lives is what is "emotionally and spiritually rewarding" and having them come back to thank them is just as meaningful.

"How many people get to say they saved a life today?" he said.

The parents have already created a book with the story of Seybian's birth for him.

"He'll never forget these guys and how he came into this world," Sabrina Dornellas said.

epesantes@tribune.com or 561-243-6602 or Twitter @epesantes

Copyright 2012 - Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.