When you’re trying to feed your baby and you can’t, it can put you into a desperate situation. The inability to feed your infant can create dire circumstances that will push a parent to do everything in their power to make it happen.
One Ohio mom found herself in such a situation recently. Unable to breastfeed her newborn, she called the only people she could for help: 911. Thankfully, there was a police officer who was willing to do everything he could to lend a hand.
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The situation was dire
The 911 dispatcher alerted Hunter Willoughby, a corporal with the Miami Township Police, of the new mom’s frantic call around 2 a.m.
“She said her breast milk had dried up and she needed formula for her 1-week-old baby,” Willoughby told Today.com, explaining that she had been driving around for hours looking for an open store.
Willoughby, a dad of two, understood the stakes. “She said her baby had been screaming for a couple of hours. and I’m a dad — I know how hard that can be. Those first few months are a whirlwind of emotions.”
He went beyond the line of duty
Willoughby’s body cam was on while he was trying to help the mom, capturing the whole ordeal. As more people became aware of the story, the chief of police, Mike Mills, decided to share the footage on Facebook to give Willoughby the praise he deserved. “You don’t often hear about everything a police officer does in the course of their shift, but I do, and this is an example of the Miami Township Way,” Mills wrote.
In the video, Willoughby is seen pulling up to a Meijer supermarket. Even though it was closed, Willoughby can be seen banging on the door to see if there were any employees inside.
“I just had a feeling someone would be there,” he told the outlet. And he was right — an employee was there, and let him into the store when he explained the situation.
The footage shows what happened next
“There is a mom,” Willoughby can be heard saying to the employee. “She said her milk dried up and she can’t find anywhere to buy formula. Is there any way anybody in here can turn on a cash register? I’ll buy it for her and take it to her.”
Next, the footage showed Willoughby trying to figure out what kind of formula would be best. “What the heck’s the difference?” he can be heard asking himself before making a choice.
The employee then asks him if the mom has bottles, leading him to grab a couple of those as well to be safe.
The mom was incredibly grateful
After making the purchase, Willoughby said he “called the mom and told her I’d see her in a couple of minutes.”
And when he got out of his police car with that bag of formula and bottles, the exhausted mom holding a “tiny little baby” instantly looked relieved.
“She was super appreciative and tried to pay me, but I refused,” Willoughby said of their brief conversation.
Willoughby’s actions made an impact
“This is what the world needs more of. Hats off to him today,” one Facebook comment reads.
“The employees of Meijer who helped should be commended too,” another person pointed out.
“THAT is protecting and serving the community,” a commenter stated.
“Kudos Corporal, you went above and beyond here. A random act of kindness is sometimes all that’s needed to shine a light into the darkness,” someone else wrote.
