GREELEY, Colo — On a cold and snowy morning this month Greeley Police officers helped a young mother deliver two of her triplet sons before she was rushed off the hospital to have her third son.
Around 3:30 a.m. April 18, officers responded to the 600 block of 36th Avenue Court for a report about a woman screaming in the front yard. Four officers arrived and found a 24-year-old woman lying on the front porch in obvious pain, police said in a release on Friday.
They quickly realized the woman's water had broken and she was in active labor. Police believed she went into labor while home alone and was attempting to make it to a neighbor’s home to call 911.
The officers called EMS and worked to keep the woman calm. Before assistance arrived, they heard faint crying and realized a boy had already been delivered and appeared to be turning blue.
One officer used bread ties to tie off the umbilical cord while another ran to nearby homes to collect towels and blankets to help keep the mother and baby warm.
Police said it was about 32 degrees that morning and was snowing.
A third officer, who remained with the new mom, tied off the umbilical cord and cut it. A fourth officer took the newborn to his patrol car due to the cold weather.
Once inside the vehicle, the baby stopped breathing and the officer initiated infant CPR and chest compressions. The officer handed the child to medics once they arrived.
While all that was happening, the woman told the officer who was tending to her that she was expecting triplets. That prompted the officers to summon additional EMS units.
Not long after, while paramedics were tending to the first baby, the mom delivered a second boy with help from officers. They cut the umbilical cord, wrapped the baby up and took him to the ambulance.
Both babies were rushed to a hospital. A second ambulance arrived, and officers assisted the mother into it. She was taken to the same hospital and immediately went into surgery to deliver her last baby.
“We expect our officers to do great work in our community every day, it is ingrained in our core values. Even with that lofty expectation, I was amazed at the teamwork, ingenuity and care our officers provided to this mother and her three new baby boys" said Police Chief Adam Turk. "The success of this call is a success in our officers, our training, and our partnerships with other public safety agencies in the area.”
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