The baby boy, born 13 weeks prematurely during the night, desperately needed the care of a neo-natal facility.

Fog and bad weather barred the way by air from Sydney yesterday morning but the NSW newborn and paediatric Emergency Transport Service (NETS) did not let the precious little bundle or his parents down.

Setting out from Sydney in its own road ambulance, the team, with NETS medical director Andrew Berry, reached Dubbo Base Hospital before 11am.

Dr Berry took over the baby’s care while flights across the Blue Mountains were still delayed.

“Today a premature baby in Dubbo needed transporting to Sydney but the airport was closed,” Dr Berry said in the brief minutes between when the baby in his crib of intensive care equipment boarded the ambulance and their departure to Dubbo airport.

NETS were treating and transporting the small patient.

“He is a very tiny baby doing very well,” Dr Berry said.

“He has received a great start from the treatment at Dubbo Base Hospital.

“His parents are all a bit overwhelmed but pleased to see how he’s going.”

NETS normally dispatches aircraft to transfer babies from Dubbo.

Yesterday it was preferable to send the road ambulance west, the first time it had been sent to Dubbo.

NETS, the “hospital with no walls”, sends a team of a nurse and doctor to treat, stabilise and then carefully move the patient.

With a fully-equipped mobile intensive care unit at the team’s use, there is no need to rush a newborn from one hospital to another.

Dubbo midwife Sally Jenkins cared for the baby yesterday morning before the NETS team arrived.

Dubbo base is a category four maternity unit, meaning it does not look after ventilated babies or babies born under 34 weeks, she said.

“This baby will probably come back to us once he’s up to the equivalent of 34 weeks,” she said.

The baby left Dubbo at 2.08pm on a Royal Flying Doctor Service plane and arrived at the Royal Hospital for Women at Randwick at 3.40pm.

“It was a great trip, the baby travelled well and the weather was beautiful,” Dr Berry said.

“He’s now in good hands (at the Royal Hospital for Women).”

Greater Western Area Health Service confirmed the baby’s mother was in a stable condition yesterday afternoon.

faye.wheeler@ruralpr ess.com