Newly released footage shows a US police officer saving the life of a 12-day-old baby girl after pulling over the car she was in for speeding.

Key points: The girl had stopped breathing after drinking from a bottle

The girl had stopped breathing after drinking from a bottle She was taken to hospital after the CPR and was discharged

She was taken to hospital after the CPR and was discharged The officer has been awarded a medal for saving her life

The Berkeley County Sherriff's Office said as Deputy Will Kimbro pulled the vehicle over in South Carolina on June 11, the driver got out of the car and told him the baby had stopped breathing after drinking from her bottle.

The girl was limp and going blue from a lack of oxygen.

In the body-cam footage, Deputy Kimbro puts the girl on its mother's lap, checks her pulse, and then starts massaging her heart as part of emergency first aid.

"Come on, baby, cry for me. Cry for me. Open those eyes, sweetheart," he can be heard saying.

The girl eventually starts to cry, and Deputy Kimbro reassures her mother.

"As long as she's crying like that, she's breathing. I want you to cry. Come on," he said.

"I think she's going to be OK. She's breathing."

Deputy Kimbro continues to perform CPR as he observes the girl's breathing is intermittent.

But the baby's chest does begin to move, and she starts breathing on her own again. He then hands her over to a paramedic, as a fellow officer pats him on the back.

The girl was taken to hospital and then released, the sheriff's office confirmed.

"Because of Deputy Kimbro's steadfast, professional and heroic response, the 12-day old baby was able to live. Please join us in congratulating Deputy Kimbro for his gallant actions that prolonged human life," the office said in a Facebook post.

Deputy Kimbro was awarded the Life-Saving Medal for saving the baby girl's life.