A police officer who was pictured breastfeeding a baby in a children’s hospital has been promoted to the rank of sergeant. Photos of Celeste Ayala feeding the ‘smelly and dirty’ child have been seen around the world since her selfless act last week. And now the officer, who works in the city of Berisso in Argentina, has been promoted from officer to sergeant.
Cristian Ritondo, minister of security for Buenos Aires province, said: ‘We wanted to thank you in person for that gesture of spontaneous love that managed to calm the baby’s cry. ‘That’s the type of police we’re proud of, the police we want.’
Ms Ayala has received widespread praise from around the world after the incident, which happened at the Sister Maria Ludovica children’s hospital, came to light. After hearing the baby crying, Ms Ayala asked hospital staff if she could hold and feed him. Speaking to local media, she said: ‘I noticed that he was hungry, as he was putting his hand into his mouth, so I asked to hug him and breastfeed him.
‘It was a sad moment, it broke my soul seeing him like this, society should be sensitive to the issues affecting children, it cannot keep happening.’ It was reported that the baby boy is one of six siblings, whose single mother has been struggling to cope.
Ms Ayala’s colleague Marcos Heredia said she was not concerned that the child was ‘smelly and dirty’. He added: ‘I want to make public this great gesture of love you made today for this little baby who you did not know, but for who you did not hesitate to act like a mother. ‘You did not care if he was dirty or smelly, which is what the hospital staff called him. Good job mate.’