A 33-year-old woman is recovering after giving birth to twins in Oppenheimer Park in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside late Wednesday night.
The new mother was out for a walk in her neighbourhood at around 11:00 pm when she went into labour earlier than expected.
Fortunately, a passerby saw her and notified Vancouver police officers, who were already in the area because of a building demolition on nearby Powell St.
The officers found the woman holding a newborn baby in her arms. A force spokesperson said the woman was in obvious distress and was still showing signs of labour, so the officers called for paramedics.
With help from police and paramedics, the woman delivered a second child while still in the park.
"It's not something where any of our officers start their shift, thinking that they will be out there tonight to welcome a newborn baby in the world," said police spokesperson Sgt. Randy Fincham. "But this was one of those unique set of circumstances that ended well for everybody."
The babies are a girl and a boy, weighing 3.5 and 4 lbs, and are recovering well in hospital with their mother.
