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
Death toll from Saturday's storm hits 10 across Ontario and Quebec
As the death toll related to the powerful storm that swept Ontario and Quebec on Saturday reached 10 on Monday, some of the hardest-hit communities were still working to take stock of the damage.

DEVELOPING | 'Too many children did not make it home': Anniversary of discovery at Canada's largest residential school
It's been a year since the announcement of the detection of unmarked graves at the site of what was once Canada's largest residential school – an announcement that for many Indigenous survivors was confirmation of what they already knew.
Walk out at trade meeting when Russia spoke 'not one-off,' says trade minister
The United States and four other nations that walked out of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group meeting in Bangkok over the weekend underlined their support Monday for host nation Thailand, saying their protest was aimed solely at Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine.
Monkeypox fears could stigmatize LGBTQ2S+ community, expert says
A theory that the recent outbreak of monkeypox may be tied to sexual activity has put the gay community in an unfortunate position, having fought back against previous and continued stigma around HIV and AIDS, an LGBTQ2+ centre director says.
Hydro damage 'significantly worse' than the ice storm and tornadoes, Hydro Ottawa says
Hydro Ottawa says the damage from Saturday's storm is "simply beyond comprehension", and is "significantly worse" than the 1998 ice storm and the tornadoes that hit the capital three years ago.
Johnny Depp's severed finger story has flaws: surgeon
A hand surgeon testified Monday that Johnny Depp could not have lost the tip of his middle finger the way he told jurors it happened in his civil lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.
Military members urged to contact Habitat for Humanity amid housing crisis
An email encouraging members of the Canadian Armed Forces to consider contacting Habitat for Humanity if they can't find affordable housing is casting a spotlight on a growing challenge facing many military personnel and their families.
WHO says no urgent need for mass monkeypox vaccinations
The World Health Organization does not believe the monkeypox outbreak outside of Africa requires mass vaccinations as measures like good hygiene and safe sexual behavior will help control its spread, a senior official said on Monday.
Captured Russian soldier sentenced to life in Ukraine's 1st war crimes trial
A captured Russian soldier who pleaded guilty to killing a civilian was sentenced by a Ukrainian court Monday to life in prison -- the maximum -- amid signs the Kremlin may, in turn, put on trial some of the fighters who surrendered at Mariupol's steelworks.