Mom Calls 911 When Newborn Needs Formula

When a Utah mom of five discovered, at 2am while her husband was out of town, that she couldn't breastfeed her hungry newborn, she called 911—and police delivered, literally. Shannon Bird tells KSL-TV that she first called her husband upon discovering that her breast milk had apparently dried up and their 6-week-old was screaming, and they brainstormed ideas. But when she was unable to get a hold of any neighbors or relatives for help, she called police in the hope that they would patrol and make sure her other sleeping children were safe while she ran to the store for formula. Instead, officers showed up on her doorstep with a gallon of milk.

Upon realizing the infant was too young for regular milk, they went back out. "We’ll leave this with you," Officer Brett Wagstaff is heard saying on body-cam footage of the Jan. 28 incident. "We’ll be right back with some formula for your baby—she’s adorable." Then, when they got back—refusing to be reimbursed—he added, "That’s the same stuff we gave my daughter when she was first born, so hopefully it doesn’t upset her stomach." The Lone Peak Police Department's public information officer applauded his colleagues' actions. "It’s been about protect and serve. This is part of the serve. We are here to serve the public." The department posted on Facebook how "proud" it is of the officers. (More uplifting news stories.)