WALKER, Mich. -- It was an extraordinary day on the job for two police officers in Kent County who helped deliver a baby last Tuesday.
Two Walker police officers knew the call was for a woman in labor, but they weren't expecting to help deliver a baby just a few minutes later.
“We were dispatched to a mother in labor, 38 weeks," said Officer Anna Huisman.
"The only thing we could do was put on the gloves and prepare," said Officer Luke Biel.
The officers showed up to the home in Walker at 5 a.m., where Alana Hiaeshutter was already in labor.
"I didn’t think it was going to happen that quick," said Hiaeshutter.
She says her baby, Alianna, was born within minutes of the officers arriving.
“Everything went really well though and they were all really supportive and very sweet, so that was really nice to have," said Hiaeshutter.
It’s the first time these officers say they’ve ever delivered a baby, but it’s something they say they are trained to do in the police academy.
"It was an amazing experience, like 'Wow that actually happened,'" said Biel. "We got to facilitate life, you know? It was pretty cool. It was a really cool experience.”
"We deal with a lot of death and sad things in our career, so to have the chance to deal with like a new life coming to the world is pretty cool," said Huisman.
Alianna came two and a half weeks early, but Alana says she’s happy the officers were there to help.
"It just brings me a little closer to the Walker Police Department," said Hiaeshutter. "I grew up in Walker, so it’s just really nice knowing that I had that, we are all connected in some way.”
The officers say they were nominated for a stork pin with the Walker Police Department for their involvement with delivering a baby. Alana and Alianna were taken to the hospital afterwards and both are perfectly healthy.
