LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WTHR) - Three Kentucky police officers are being awarded for saving the life of a newborn in cardiac arrest.
Six weeks after she was born with a congenital heart defect, Avery began gasping for air in her bassinet. Her mother Kayla Smith picked her up, but "she was so limp, there was nothing to her."
She started CPR on her daughter, whose face and mouth were turning blue, then called 911.
The three Mt. Washington Police Department officers who arrived within minutes - Austin Battcher, Ben Norris and Jesse Bratcher - took over, switching off administering CPR until medics arrived.
The officers told WAVE-TV their training kicked in to treat the baby, but as the ambulance drove off with the child, it all started to sink in.
"I think the only call I've actually ever cried on," Bratcher said.
Avery is back home and reportedly doing well after a 10-day stay in the hospital. Smith and her fiancé Ricky Conover say they are thankful for the officers' quick response.
“I just feel very thankful for them," Smith said. “I mean it’s like I can’t really express enough to them how thankful we are.”
The officers were honored with the "Life Saving Award" Tuesday by their department and the City of Mt. Washington. But they aren't taking all the credit.
“We were the first ones there, but EMS was right behind us,” Battcher said.
They say their experience is the perfect example of what CPR can do.