Helping deliver a baby was not a part of YMCA lifeguard Natalie Lucas’s job description, but that is exactly what happened while she was on duty recently.
On July 24, the 18-year-old was working a normal Sunday morning shift at the Longmont YMCA pool, about 33 miles north of Denver, Colorado. At the same time, Tessa Rider, 29, who was nine months pregnant, was swimming in the pool as her husband, Matthew Jones, 29, looked on.
Swimming was one of the few things that would give Rider relief during her pregnancy, especially amid the summer heat, her husband told the Washington Post.
As Rider was in the pool, her water broke, and she signaled to her husband it was time to leave immediately for the hospital. However, as soon as she stepped out onto the platform, Rider collapsed and realized that the baby was going to come out before they reached the hospital.
Jones rushed to aide his wife and tried calling 911 but threw his phone to the side as soon as he realized the baby was about to be delivered.
Lucas, who was the only lifeguard on duty, had her adrenaline kick in. She told a man in the pool to call 911 and alerted pool staff through a walkie-talkie of the situation taking place while grabbing towels and a first aid kit.
The lifeguard then helped support Rider’s head while Jones helped deliver the baby as bystanders looked on.
Within minutes of going into labor, Rider gave birth to Tobin “Toby” Thomas Rider on the YMCA pool deck.
An ambulance later arrived to take Ridder, now a mother of three, to the hospital.
The couple was thankful to Lucas for her quick thinking during those chaotic moments at the pool.
“I would not have traded Natalie for anybody in that situation,” Jones told the Post, as his wife agreed. “I’m just so thankful that she was a part of that, and that she supported us the way that she did.”
The YMCA of Northern Colorado released a statement the following day, commending Lucas’s actions while congratulating Rider and Jones:
We want to wish Tessa and Matthew congratulations on their gorgeous little one, and give a big shout out to Natalie, the Longmont Y Lifeguard who helped deliver a baby during her Sunday shift (something surely not covered in the job description).
Lucas, who will be attending San Diego State University this fall to study criminal justice, recognized this was a very different lifesaving experience than what she has been used to as a lifeguard.
“In past years, I’ve saved a few kids, but nothing quite like this,” she told the Post. “To see firsthand how it happens, it was quite amazing.”
As for Toby, he can expect to see birthday cards annually from Lucas, as the lifeguard noted she plans to write and send them.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
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