911 operator meets North Carolina mom, newborn she helped deliver over the phone

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Friday, June 11, 2021
911 operator meets mom, newborn she helped deliver over the phone
A 911 operator who helped keep a panicked mother calm while she was giving birth at home meets her and the newborn face-to-face for the first time.

MONROE, N.C. -- A North Carolina mother met the 911 operator who talked her through delivering her baby.

Keri Michaels got the call around 3:30 in the morning. Samantha Lockhart of Union County was on the other end of the line.

Lockhart was out of breath and struggling to communicate with Michaels.

"I knew that she was already in labor, and the child was coming," Keri Michaels said.

Lockhart was at her home with only her three young children there with her. Her fourth child was on the way, and Lockhart knew she would not be able to make it to the hospital.

That's when Michaels stepped in.

"It's like God sent her, for me, for this situation. She kept me calm. She walked me through everything," Lockhart said. "She was definitely amazing. I wouldn't have had it any other way."

In the end, Lockhart's son was born at a healthy 8 lbs 5 oz.

"I will remember this call for the rest of my life," Michaels said.