‘A story they can tell forever:’ Orlando officer helps deliver baby in car on I-4
Officer Courtney Burke jumps into action after finding a woman giving birth on an Orlando interstate.
By Anthony Talcott
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ORLANDO, Florida (WKMG) — An Orlando police officer on Tuesday helped deliver a baby in a vehicle along Interstate 4, according to the department.
Officer Courtney Burke spoke with News 6 about her role in the delivery, saying she heard the calls for help but never expected what happened next.
Burke said she was just beginning an off-duty shift near I-4 when she saw a vehicle stalled along the road. Inside, she discovered a woman in labor.
“I know this baby has to come out, and has to come out now, so she started pushing, and she did a good job,” Burke said. “She was a trooper through it all, and she did no medication or anything like that, and all she had was the trust in me to help her out.”
Burke said the baby eventually came out, though the newborn looked discolored, perhaps because of the breach birth. She said she could tell that there was something in the baby’s mouth, so she laid the baby down and began performing CPR.
“The baby started to gargle a little bit, so I knew maybe, like, she’s coming through a little bit, so I started to clear out the mouth a little bit more,” she said. “Actually felt her tongue move, so I was like… ‘OK, I got this.’”
Afterward, the new mother and her baby daughter headed off to a hospital, Burke said.
Burke told News 6 that she’s thankful she was able to be in the right place at the right time to make such a positive impact.
“I hope it’s a story they can tell forever because I know it’s a story I’m going to tell forever,” she said.
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