Rookie RCMP officer helps deliver baby in B.C. hospital parking lot
A rookie cop attended a different type of emergency Monday after running toward the sound of screaming in a parking lot.
Const. Sise Odaa, with the Chilliwack, B.C., RCMP, was at the Chilliwack General Hospital for an unrelated report when she heard the yelling.
Odaa, who just joined the detachment six months ago, rushed outside to help, the Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment said in a news release Thursday.
What she found was Chilliwack woman Chayne Den Ouden in labour.
“When we got to the parking lot my mom asked if I needed a wheelchair but I said, 'No I’m good,'” Den Ouden told CTV News.
“But then I walked maybe 20 feet and had another contraction was hunched over."
As Den Ouden’s mom went to get the wheelchair, chaos ensued.
“I realized, 'Oh no, the baby's coming,'” she said.
“So I reached down and started grabbing her. Meanwhile a man was walking by and said, 'Are you OK?' I said, 'No I'm having a baby!'"
Odaa heard the commotion, and jumped into action.
"She heard the yelling and thought, 'OK there's something going on so I better go assist,'” Den Ouden said.
Little Sahara Acacia Den Ouden did not wait for her mom to get inside the hospital.
"When she got there, there was my mom catching Sahara, and she was there to support us and help us with what we needed, it was pretty special."
Den Ouden and Sahara were quickly taken into the hospital. She says they’re now home, healthy and happy.
Odaa called it an "amazing experience," and said in a statement that she joined the RCMP to help people.
"(I'm) so happy that I was able to help in this very special way."
Sahara Acacia Den Ouden is shown in a photo provided by her family to CTV News.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Thunderstorms kill 3 in southern Ont., knock out power in parts of Que.
As the May long weekend kicked off, a massive thunderstorm in southern Ontario and Quebec brought strong wind gusts that knocked down trees, took out power and left at least three people dead.

Flu cases on the rise in Canada despite expected fall
The federal government is reporting a sharp rise in influenza in recent months, at a time of the year when detected cases generally start to fall in Canada.
Toronto investigating first suspected case of monkeypox
Health officials in Toronto say they are investigating the first suspected case of monkeypox in the city.
A 'relieved' Jason Kenney says he won't run in the UCP leadership race
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he will not be running in the race to pick a new leader of the United Conservative party.
Putin's invasion of Ukraine an 'act of madness,' former U.K. PM Blair says
The United Kingdom's former prime minister Tony Blair says Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine is an 'act of madness.' In an interview on CTV's Question Period airing Sunday, Blair said Putin doesn't appear to be the same man he knew in the early 2000s.
Buffalo shooting victim laid to rest; city marks 1 week
Roberta Drury, a 32-year-old woman who was the youngest of the 10 Black people killed at a Buffalo supermarket, was remembered at her funeral Saturday for her love for family and friends, tenacity 'and most of all, that smile that could light up a room.'
The science behind why smoke seems to follow you around a campfire
Why does smoke seem to follow you around a campfire? B.C. research scientist Kerry Anderson told CTVNews.ca the answer actually boils down to physics.
Expert's tips on what to do if you're being carjacked amid rash of Toronto incidents
Some drivers in Toronto may be feeling on edge as Toronto is dealing with a rash of violent carjackings targeting mostly high-end vehicles.
A year of trauma, catharsis and finally peace for some survivors of Kamloops school
The nightmares started last May, said Harvey McLeod, chief of the Upper Nicola Indian Band and a survivor of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.