A teenage lifeguard just proved how dedicated she truly is to her job.
When a woman went into labor on the pool deck at a YMCA in Northern Colorado, Natalie Lucas didn't hesitate. She stepped in, along with the woman's husband, to help her deliver the baby right then and there.
According to the mother of three, the labor happened quickly. "We knew the baby was coming. We just didn't know if it was going to be a week, two weeks, or today," Tessa Rider told The Washington Post about her July 24 delivery at her local Y. But even though she was a couple days past her due date, she wasn't feeling quite like the baby was ready to come.
Oh, how unpredictable babies can be!
The mom had been visiting the pool to stay cool and comfortable at the end of her pregnancy. “For the later part of her pregnancy she was very uncomfortable, and the only relief she had was when she was in the water and floating,” her husband, Matthew Jones, said.
She was floating in the pool on a noodle and suddenly found herself in the absolute throes of labor.
“All of a sudden, I felt the need to push,” she explained. She told her husband to gather their things and meet her at the car, but there wasn't enough time to waddle to the parking lot. “I collapsed onto all fours,” she said. Almost instantly, her water broke, and she could feel the baby coming out.
Natalie was the only lifeguard on duty at the time, and she ran over to help. “My adrenaline kicked in right then and there,” she said, noting that she wisely grabbed some towels and an emergency first-aid kit. She asked a man swimming laps to call an ambulance and let staff know, via a walkie-talkie, that a baby was about to be born on the pool deck.
Soon, the baby was coming, as the laboring mom held her bathing suit off to the side so she could deliver. Natalie was right there assisting. "I was helping support her head, and the husband was helping guide the baby out,” she said. “I stayed calm, and I didn’t freak out, because that’s what you need to do in this job. You can’t really hesitate or wait for someone else to come. You’re the lifeguard; you’re the lifesaver.”
Natalie kept supporting Tessa after the baby was born. She sat back-to-back with her so she could stay sitting up as she held her newborn baby, Toby. Soon, paramedics arrived on the scene. They checked Toby out and said he was perfectly healthy. But Tessa says she couldn't have done it without Natalie's help.
“She really played her part perfectly, and was so sweet to us,” Tessa said. “I really, really appreciated her being there, and I’m glad she had that experience with us.”
Her husband agreed. “I would not have traded Natalie for anybody in that situation,” he said. “I’m just so thankful that she was a part of that, and that she supported us the way that she did.”
