An emotional and heart-wrenching video shows a police officer fighting to revive an abandoned newborn. The desperate officer cries out repeatedly, "Breathe baby," as he massages the child's chest. And God made sure rescuers discovered this little one just in time!
In Brazil, a woman named Francisca Roberto Prudente could hear crying coming from the vacant lot next door.
"I was out in the yard and heard something cry but I thought it was a cat, so I just kept on walking," she said.
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But when she heard more crying and spotted a tiny foot, she rushed to the phone and called the police.
When the officers arrived, they looked around the lot and made a terrifying discovery in the bushes under a tree. There, beneath the shrubbery, was an abandoned newborn baby boy!
The poor baby boy still had his umbilical cord attached. He was covered in bug bites and close to death after spending an estimated 30 hours under the bush.
The tense moment hit rescuing officer Sgt Antonio Carlos Annibal hard.
“I could see the baby still had some signs of life, but he was very weak," he recalled.
Immediately, the officer did all he could think of to try and revive an abandoned newborn. While another responder filmed, Officer Annibal gave cardiac massages, begging (in Portuguese) with the baby boy to "breathe baby breathe."
“I began to massage his heart and as soon as I did, the child reacted and began to cry," Officer Annibal said.
It was a miracle the boy survived as long as he did! And thanks to the officer's quick-thinking and prayers, they were able to get him to the hospital.
“I wrapped him up in a clean cloth and we took him as fast as we could to emergency care,” Officer Annibal said.
Once the abandoned newborn was getting the medical attention he needed at the hospital, police looked into how he came to be left under the bush.
Sadly, they learned his 15-year-old birth mom was no more than just a scared kid herself. She claims she didn't realize she was pregnant and was too afraid to ask for help, fearing how her family would respond. So, when her son, named Pietro, arrived, the desperate girl dumped him in an attempt to keep her secret hidden.
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Fear can make people do terrible things. And this girl's reaction to fear could have easily ended a precious life. Thankfully, though, God led to the child's rescue just in time.
“We found the baby in the nick of time. He was in a very poor condition and probably wouldn’t have survived for much longer," Officer Annibal explained.
But because of the officer's refusal to give up on the little boy, he is recovering nicely from the horrible experience.
"A newborn, a few hours of life, already exposed to such a situation. But we tried to do our best to protect that child," Officer Annibal said. "And God gave us the conditions to work and save."
After spending more than a month in the NICU, Pietro is overcoming his tragic beginnings. His remorseful mother and her family have been checking in on him, too. And Officer Annibal is quick to point out what a fighter this tiny tot is.
"He's a warrior," he said.
God certainly has plans for this precious child and we pray his difficult start will lead to a blessed and happy life!
"Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." Psalm 82:3-4
h/t: The Sun
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