Portland Woman Delivers Baby On Sidewalk And Starts Walking Away

PORTLAND, OR — It was not the day that Nathan Kirby-Glatkowski had envisioned when he woke up Wednesday morning. A six-year-veteran of the Portland Police Bureau, he and his partner arrived at Central Precinct and quickly headed out.

They were tracking down a serial burglar.

That didn't last long. They soon got a call from dispatch, saying they'd received calls from people saying a woman had just given birth at 13th and Market and was walking away.

The dispatch call said that the woman had fluid and blood on her.

The two officers sped over. An ambulance from AMR and a crew from Portland Fire were already on scene taking care of the baby. Passersby had seen what had happened, ran over and covered up the baby girl against the elements.

People pointed that the new mom was only a block or so away. Kirby-Glatkowski quickly caught up with her.

Both of the officers are also members of the bureau's Enhanced Crisis Intervention Team and are trained to work with people in moments of crisis.

They were able to get the new mother to stop and talk with them long enough to be convinced to get into a hospital for mental health evaluation. She is under what's called a "police officer hold."

Both the mother and baby girl are said to be doing well.

Later, Kirby-Glatkowski talked about how the rain that morning had left the sidewalk where the baby girl came into the world cold and wet.

It was, he said, "no place to have a baby."

Portland police officials say that it's worth remembering that the state has a law giving parents the option to safely drop off a newborn with a police station or other facility without any fear of legal repercussion:

Oregon Health Authority : Safe Surrender: When a Parent Can't Care for a Newborn : Safe Surrender for Newborns : State of Oregon