Staff Scrambles To Help Woman Deliver Baby Inside Bronx Library
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A library in the Bronx was turned into a maternity ward thanks to a baby that surprised everyone.
One library worker suddenly took on a role she never could have imagined.
"A lady rushes over to me, tells me that there's someone in the foyer trying to give birth," library assistant Wanda Luzon told CBS 2's Dick Brennan on Friday.
Luzon usually handles overdue books, but she was forced into a position where she had to deliver a baby who wouldn't wait on Thursday.
"It was right in this corner, in the corner by the entrance," Luzon said, referring to where the woman gave birth.
A woman in labor came into the library on Morrison Avenue in Clason Point. She was desperate for help and suddenly everyone was scrambling to keep her comfortable.
"I went over there and I just took off my coat and I just started assisting," said library patron Mildred Roldan.
Ambulances were on the way, but the baby was coming fast.
"She tells me 'It's there. I'm like 'OK.' But when I see the head, I'm like 'OK, it's definitely here,'" said Luzon.
And in the place where silence usually reigns, everyone enjoyed the sound of a newborn announcing his arrival.
"Hearing those screams, it was like we did a good job," Luzon said. "The paramedics came in and I said 'whew, thank God!'"
The library staff said while they may not name the wing after the baby, if he comes in when he's a little older, he just might get some special privileges.
"The little boy's money will be no good here. We'll give him a library card and he'll have all the privileges. He will never be able to pay any fines. Don't tell my boss I said that," said librarian Cheryl Hawkins.
"He gets a card, he gets to get his fines waived. Maybe we give him some fines waived for a year," said librarian Cheryle Horry. "He don't even have to wait in line."
The baby is said to be resting comfortably at Jacobi Hospital, enjoying the peace and quiet. The hospital said the mother is also doing well.
How would you have reacted in the same situation? Share your thoughts in the comments section below...
