BAY SHORE, Long Island (WABC) — A very special delivery on Long Island was all made possible thanks to the teamwork of two police officers and a 911 dispatcher who helped a mom give birth to a baby girl on the bathroom floor of her apartment.
They say each day holds a surprise, but for Stefanie Andrade and her husband Chris, there surprise was a doozy.
“She made quite the entrance,” Andrade said. “Absolutely the wildest, but one of the happiest days of my life.”
It all happened within minutes at the couple’s town house in Amityville early Thursday morning.
Andrade was all alone at the time and was frantically calling her sister, who called 911 and thankfully got one of the calmest, and coolest dispatchers on the line, Corine Batista, a mom of three children herself.
“As soon as she got situated on the floor, I had her put a towel underneath her and we started delivering a baby,” said Batista of Suffolk Fire and Rescue.
Batista had to help deliver baby Cali by phone with Andrade on her bathroom floor.
“The more that she spoke, the more calm I felt,” Andrade said. “I was like, I know I had to follow what she’s telling me.”
She said her biggest fear was giving birth alone after a C-section.
Cali’s big brother was born by C-section, only 18 months ago. Meanwhile, Chris, who had left for work Thursday morning, rapidly made his way back home.
Luckily for him, there was no traffic on the Long Island Expressway.
“I actually had to go back on the Sagtikos,” he said. “Luckily I made it just in time before she gave birth.”
Suffolk County Police Officers Michael Stroehlein and Diego Montero made it just in time to tie off the umbilical cord with Chris’ shoelace.
Andrade and the newborn were then taken to Good Samaritan Hospital.
“There’s just a lot going through your mind at that point, it’s very stressful,” Stroehlein said.
“But it was a great experience to be a part of,” Montero said.
Andrade and Cali will be at the hospital until Saturday, which will be a nice breather after an already chaotic week.
“She came out crying, beautiful sound,” Batista said. “I just rejoiced when she came out.”
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