When a new mom called 911 in a panic because her breast milk had dried up, there was every possibility that she could have been told this was not an emergency. Happily, this was not the case. A truly vigilant police officer, a dad himself, went above and beyond to get the new mom the help she needed. Because he understood that being all alone with a hungry baby you can’t feed is absolutely an emergency.
Miami Township Police Officer Hunter Willoughby took a call from a frantic mom at 2 a.m. “She said her breast milk had dried up and she needed formula for her 1-week-old baby,” Willoughby told TODAY. The Ohio-area officer went on to explain that this poor mom had been driving around for hours, looking for a store that might be open so she could buy formula for her baby to no avail.
“My heart went out to her,” Willoughby, a dad of two young daughters, explained. “She said her baby had been screaming for a couple of hours and I’m a dad — I know how hard that can be. Those first few months are a whirlwind of emotions.”
The officer decided to take action. In a Facebook video shared by the police department, Willoughby is seen through body cam footage knocking on the door of a closed Meijer supermarket, using his flashlight to alert a staff member to open the door. As soon as it was opened, he went in to find the baby formula, calling the desperate mom and letting her know he would see her within a few minutes.
“She was super appreciative and tried to pay me, but I refused,” Willoughby told TODAY, going on to explain that they didn’t have a long conversation because she needed to feed her baby.
“You don't often hear about everything a police officer does in the course of their shift, but I do and this is an example of the Miami Township Way,” Police Chief Mike Mills wrote alongside the now-viral video, and social media users really appreciated the extra effort Willoughby put in to help a new mom in need. “This is what the world needs more of. Hats off to him today. I hope he is sleeping in too,” wrote one person, while another added, “That officer is truly a blessing. He went out of his way to help a mother and her child. Give that officer 10 thumbs up. That shows that he cares about his community.”
It is a terrifying thing, to have your milk dry up when your baby is hungry. An actual emergency that this officer took seriously.
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