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An Argentine police officer who was praised last week for breastfeeding a neglected and malnourished baby has been promoted.
Celeste Ayala who was on duty cared for the infant, which had reportedly been separated from its mother at the Sor María Ludovica children’s hospital in the country’s capital ,Buenos Aires.
A friend photographed the moment and posted it on Facebook last week, saluting Ms Ayala’s “great gesture of love”. The post went viral on social media.
She was congratulated by the security minister of Buenos Aires province, Cristian Ritondo, who is also said to be a volunteer firefighter.
“We wanted to thank her in person for that gesture of spontaneous love that managed to calm the baby’s cry”, he tweeted, adding that her conduct epitomised “the police we’re proud of, the police we want”.
The local fire department, for which Ayala volunteers, also praised her, saying “actions like this fill us with pride.”
Ms Ayala, who has a daughter aged 16 months, has now been promoted to sergeant.