Two policemen in Alexandria, Virginia, revived a newborn who was born not breathing, in a tense and critical moment.
Law enforcement officials said Monday that the Alexandria Police Department (APD) received a 911 call just after midnight about a family in urgent need of help when a mother gave birth to a lifeless baby.
APD Officers Hiltz and Reilly entered an apartment in the 3800 block of Executive Avenue, rushing to locate the baby. They found a newborn not breathing and without a heartbeat. As first responders, their training immediately kicked in, and, without hesitation, Officer Hiltz began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while Officer Reilly managed to keep the family calm. After two rounds of CPR, Officer Hiltz located a pulse, and the baby began to “fuss,” as Officer Hiltz described it. The sound of a newborn baby crying could be heard throughout the home.
The baby, Luis IV, and his mother are doing well and have since returned home after a short stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Social media users praised the officers for their lifesaving actions, with comments like “Well done!” and “Incredible job. I was tearing up reading this. What a story of two amazing heroes!”
Hiltz described his focus on ensuring Luis’s well-being during the tense moments, saying, “It felt amazing to hear him cry. In that moment, all the stress and fear of the situation just left me.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, CPR is a lifesaving technique that can revive a person who has stopped breathing or no longer has a heartbeat. “CPR can keep oxygen-rich blood flowing to the brain and other organs until emergency medical treatment can restore a typical heart rhythm,” the website explains.
