Chicago police officers who helped deliver baby on Easter reconnect, shower her with gifts

CHICAGO - Chicago police officers who helped deliver a baby last April followed up with a baby shower on Tuesday.

The officers originally jumped into action early on Easter morning when the pregnant mother showed up at their district headquarters, already in labor.

"I was kind of panicking and they were telling me to calm down, everything is alright," said Kaliyah Stokes. 

Kaliyah Stokes remembers very clearly when several Chicago police officers helped her deliver her first baby. 

She was in labor as her father drove her to Comer's Children's Hospital from Dixmoor. He realized she wouldn't make it, and pulled up on the sidewalk outside the third police district in the Grand Crossing neighborhood. 

"When I jumped the curb and slammed on breaks, he looked at me and I jumped out and said, 'my daughter's having a baby,'" said Johnny Stokes. "He jumped out like, ‘OK, cool, let's do this.'"     

Today, 10 weeks later, the officers who helped with the delivery threw a baby shower for Kaliyah, and her little girl, Avah.

"We've often times had conversations trying to figure out like, ‘hey, what's going on with her? I wonder how she's doing,'" said Officer Tasha Flippen.

The officers who helped with the delivery say they consider themselves honorary aunts and uncles, and they plan to keep in touch. 

"That is great to know that she has police officers that will protect her and love her," said Kaliyah Stokes. 

One of those honorary uncles is Officer Lawrence Nickerson Jr. 

"To kind of show the different aspects of our job, that we kind of multi-task different situations, I think it's great," said Officer Nickerson Jr. 

Avah's family says the gifts received today are deeply appreciated.

"She's going to need every bit of it because only thing she does is eat sleep and do number one and two," said Johnny Stokes. "So she's living the good life right now."