Deputies Help Deliver Baby Boy After Finding Mom in ‘Extreme Distress’

A California deputy is opening up about helping a mom deliver her baby near a local business.

The Rancho Cordova Police Department said in a Facebook post that officers were recently dispatched to Vehicle Drive following reports of “suspicious circumstances.”

Responding officers then made contact with a pregnant 29-year-old woman who police said “was in extreme distress near a local business.” She claimed she was giving birth and had been crying for help for about three hours. 

Deputy Foster Tracy said the situation went from “zero to a hundred really fast,” according to CBS affiliate KOVR. At first, Tracy said the woman’s statement “didn’t really register” in his mind.

“She lifts up her dress, and the baby is halfway out and she said she’d been there for hours,” the deputy recalled.

It was not long until the officers noticed the baby had its umbilical cord wrapped around its neck, KOVR reported.

“I was concerned the baby was deceased because it was purple and blue,” Tracy explained. “Saw the umbilical cord, did the best we can with our experience.”

Both officers helped “successfully” deliver the baby boy while “comforting the mother throughout the birth process,” according to the police department. The baby, they added, “appeared to be healthy, breathing, and crying upon being delivered.”

The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District transported the mother and her newborn to a local hospital, the Rancho Cordova Police Department said.

“This is an incredible demonstration of ‘commitment to community’ by RCPD Officers Tracey and Thome for assisting with the delivery and successfully bringing a new life into the world and providing care and comfort to the mother!” police said in a statement.

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Looking back on the ordeal, Tracy said it “feels good” to have helped the mom and baby during their time of need.

“It’s one of those moments where you feel like you’re making a difference,” the deputy said. “One of the reasons we sign up as police officers, or at least I did, is to help people in the community.”