A hero garda who saved the life of an unresponsive baby said seeing the tot suddenly start breathing again was the biggest relief of her life.
Garda Edel Dugdale and Garda Grace Murray have been hailed as heroes after their quick thinking saved the life of the three-month-old baby just two days before Christmas
Community Garda Dugdale recalls that she and Garda Murray were on duty at Trim Garda Station in Co. Meath at about 5pm when she saw a terrified mum run in with a baby and a young boy.
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"I remember saying to Grace, there's something wrong with that child and we both ran out to see the tiniest baby who wasn't breathing and was cold to touch," she said
"Grace rang the emergency services and I started CPR. I kept saying, good girl, breathe for me now. And all of a sudden, her eyes opened and she took a breath.
"I was never so relieved in my life.
"During all this time and while waiting for the ambulance to arrive, we tried to keep the mum and her young son calm. Grace got colouring pencils and printed out the garda colouring book for the little boy and we talked about Santa coming.
"It was two days before Christmas and they had been cooking cookies for Santa when the baby became unwell. The mum had no car and the nearest hospital was 15km away so the mam just grabbed the baby and ran up the road to us for help.
"Thankfully, the baby is doing fine now.
"I thought the ambulance would never get here but a huge thanks to the paramedic who stayed on the phone the whole time"
Garda Grace Murray says she will never forget 'Baby B'.
"As soon as I looked up at the camera in the station and saw the mother coming in, I knew there was something wrong and myself and Edel ran straight out
"I am so glad that both mother and baby are ok, we did all we could to help. I would like to also thank the lady in ambulance control who was excellent and remained on the line with us until the first responders arrived
"It was a real team effort and I'll certainly remember Baby B for the rest of my life."
In a post on social media gardai said: "The quick reaction of both Gardaí combined with their skill and ability to remain calm in this pressurised situation, is a fitting example of the everyday acts that members do to keep people safe. We’d like to thank this young mother for placing her trust in local Gardaí to help at a time of need."
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