A 13-year-old middle school student in New York was drawing in his room when he heard his aunt screaming on Friday, August 2, 2024. His aunt was in labor, and with the help of instructions from a dispatcher, the boy calmly helped her deliver a healthy baby. The Southampton Town Police Department praised the boy for his ability to remain "cool-headed" while listening to birthing/medical instructions and relaying information to his mom, who was also present at the time but is a native Spanish speaker.
Police officer James Cavanagh was on the way to the home while dispatcher Christopher Brenner provided instructions. When the officer reached the destination, the baby was already being born, according to the police department's Facebook post.
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Cavanagh told The Riverhead News Review that when he arrived at the home, "it was literally an active birth happening," which prompted him to go back out to get his medical equipment and inform the ambulance. Once he got back inside, "the baby was wrapped in a blanket," he told the outlet.
Not long after that, Flanders Northampton Volunteer ambulance arrived, according to the Facebook post, and the mother and her baby were transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center.
"Thanks to professionalism and diligence of all involved both mother and child are resting and healthy at the hospital," the police department wrote in the post.
Cavanagh noted that the boy's bravery played a role in the successful delivery. While it seems like an intimidating situation for a child, the boy remained calm as he listened to the dispatcher and was able to give instructions to his mom in Spanish. "The officer told me I had to take care of my aunt," the boy told The Riverhead News Review. Cavanagh told the outlet that the boy did "an excellent job."
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The boy's ability to remain calm under pressure seems really impressive, but he spoke to dispatch "like it was nothing to him," Cavanagh told the outlet.
Perhaps it's because the boy was at least somewhat prepared, as he has had a similar experience before with another family member who unexpectedly went into labor. "I’ve done this before," he told The Riverhead News Review.
