Giving the Shirt Off Your Back to a Woman Giving Birth

The big feel-good story making the rounds here in New York City this week is that of Polly McCourt, who went into labor on the corner of a busy Manhattan street right outside her 68th Street and 3rd Avenue apartment building. Her doorman Anton and other strangers rushed to help her as she gave birth to a baby girl right there in the middle of the city.

Twenty-year-old Isabel Williams saw the commotion on her way to work and initially thought someone had gotten hit by a car. Instead, she found the joyous-but-unusual scene with Polly surrounded by good Samaritans.

While New Yorkers had covered Polly with their own scarves and sweaters to keep her warm, the newborn baby was still exposed to the elements when Isabel arrived. The young woman therefore removed her coat, sweater and flannel shirt so the baby could be wrapped up in them. Isabel, meanwhile, endured the freezing cold in a t-shirt.

Polly and her husband Cian, who had since arrived, were grateful to Isabel – so grateful, in fact, that they named their daughter Ila Isabelle.

Though the McCourts haven’t yet had the chance to meet Isabel to thank her again in person, all parties involved are looking forward to their happy reunion.

(Photos via NY Daily News)