On March 25, Woonsocket, Rhode Island police received a call from a woman requesting a welfare check for a family member with a history of drug use.
Police assumed they would be responding to an overdose, as they had already done several times that evening. But this time when they opened the door they were faced with a woman who was far into her labor at only 25 weeks pregnant.
The woman admitted that she had been using drugs, which likely brought on her premature labor. She did not know she was pregnant at the time.
Two police officers and two firefighters were first on the scene, and the four of them worked together to deliver the baby girl.
27-year-old police officer Doyle was one of the men who helped the mother to deliver her baby. He said the baby was only about the size of his hand.
Doyle said of the traumatic delivery,
"You always think the baby is going to come out crying. I didn't see that, and the baby was definitely not breathing."
When paramedics arrived on the scene both mom and baby were rushed to the hospital. Thanks to first responders, both mom and baby survived.
The baby girl remains in the NICU, while the mom has been released and is recovering. She has since reached out to Officer Doyle through Facebook to thank him for saving both her and her baby. She told him that she is getting help and has been clean since her daughter's birth.
"I hope to God she does what she says she's going to do, sticks with her program," Doyle said. "God kicked her in the butt — maybe it's what she needed, made her fall in line."
I hope he's right. In the meantime, Officer Doyle says he continues to reach out to the hospital for updates on the baby who is still in critical condition.
Police Chief Thomas Oates said of the officer's response to the crisis,
"These young officers are having first major incidents in their careers. They reacted well, doing just what their training has taught them to do."
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
