Four Colorado police officers were dispatched to a home one morning to investigate reports of a woman screaming.
None of them could have expected what happened next.
Greeley Police Department officers arrived at the home about an hour outside of Boulder around 3:30 a.m. on April 18 to find the 24-year-old woman in labor after her water broke, according to with a press release. Almost immediately after calling emergency medical personnel for assistance, they heard a faint scream.
The first baby, a boy, had been born – but he was turning blue. It was a cold day and it was raining and snowing, police said.
“One officer located bread ties to tie the umbilical cord, while another ran to nearby homes and collected towels and blankets to help keep the new family warm,” the Greeley Police Department said. “A third police officer, who was still with the new mother, tied the umbilical cord and cut it. The fourth officer took the boy back to his patrol where it was much warmer.”
The boy stopped breathing while inside the patrol vehicle, prompting the officer to administer CPR to the baby. Fortunately, doctors arrived shortly afterwards to help the newborn.
That’s when the new mother told officers she was expecting two more babies. Needless to say, they asked for more medical personnel.
“While officers were comforting the mother, a second boy was born, with the assistance of officers,” the police department said. “The police wrapped the baby, tied the umbilical cord and cut it. Baby number two was also rushed to the ambulance, where medical staff were still tending to the first baby.”
The mother was brought by ambulance to a local hospital, where she was taken into surgery to deliver the last triplet. Her other two newborns were taken to the same hospital for medical care.
Police said the triplets, who had strong heartbeats, were receiving care in the neonatal intensive care unit. His current condition is not immediately clear.
According to the Greeley Police Department, the 24-year-old woman went into labor alone at home and her phone died, so she tried to go to a neighbor’s house to call 911. She is not being identified out of respect. her privacy.
Police Chief Adam Turk said he was “amazed by the teamwork, ingenuity and care” of officers, who faced “great expectations.”
“The success of this call is a success for our officers, our training and our partnerships with other law enforcement agencies in the area,” Turk said.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
