{"id":34360,"date":"2022-08-01T15:35:30","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T15:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/?p=34360"},"modified":"2022-08-01T15:35:30","modified_gmt":"2022-08-01T15:35:30","slug":"lifeguard-natalie-lucas-18-helped-deliver-a-baby-on-a-ymca-pool-deck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/01\/lifeguard-natalie-lucas-18-helped-deliver-a-baby-on-a-ymca-pool-deck\/","title":{"rendered":"Lifeguard Natalie Lucas, 18, helped deliver a baby on a YMCA pool deck"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"wpds-c-grBDNq hide-for-print mb-sm undefined\">\n<div class=\"PJLV PJLV-iAjpuP-css flex items-center\" data-qa=\"article-actions\">\n<div class=\"wpds-c-fLphcs\"><button class=\"wpds-c-gNHrZC wpds-c-gNHrZC-bywHgD-variant-primary wpds-c-gNHrZC-biynoz-density-compact wpds-c-gNHrZC-hZSyid-isOutline-true wpds-c-gNHrZC-ejCoEP-icon-left wpds-c-gNHrZC-futxca-cv wpds-c-gNHrZC-ihhnWqF-css\"><button class=\"PJLV PJLV-igcOMTV-css\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" role=\"img\" class=\"wpds-c-coakfw wpds-c-efqEZa focus-highlight flex items-center justify-center brad-lg pointer transition-400 ease-in-out transition-colors\" aria-label=\"Comment on this story\" iconstyle=\"[object Object]\"><title>Comment on this story<\/title><path d=\"M14 14V2H2v9.47h8.18L12.43 13ZM3 10.52V3h10v9.23l-2.5-1.66Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p>Comment<\/p>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"teaser-content grid-center\">\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">It was a typical Sunday morning shift for Natalie Lucas, who works as a lifeguard at the YMCA of Northern Colorado. Until, suddenly, a pregnant woman\u2019s water broke on the indoor pool deck.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cThis was something I wasn\u2019t prepared for,\u201d said Lucas, 18, who has been a certified lifeguard for three years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Tessa Rider and her husband, Matthew Jones, were visiting their local Y \u2014 about five minutes from their home in Longmont, Colo. \u2014 for a swim on July 24. Tessa was nine months pregnant with her third child, and daily swims offered a much-needed reprieve from the stifling summer heat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cFor 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,\u201d said Jones, 29.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Rider was a few days past her due date, and she had experienced some mild contractions, \u201cbut not anything very clear cut,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cWe knew the baby was coming. We just didn\u2019t know if it was going to be a week, two weeks, or today,\u201d echoed her husband.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p><span class=\"font--article-body font-copy hide-for-print ma-0 pb-md db italic interstitial\"><a target=\"_blank\" data-qa=\"interstitial-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/lifestyle\/2022\/07\/28\/rescue-dogs-licking-humane-society\/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_12\" rel=\"noopener\">How 80 dogs were saved: \u2018We\u2019ve done a lot of rescues &#8230; but never one like this\u2019<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">It was a particularly hot morning, and once Rider slipped into the pool at around 10:45 a.m., \u201cI had Matt toss me a pool noodle, and I remember this sense of complete relaxation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">But in the span of about 30 seconds, the calm swiftly shifted to chaos.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cAll of a sudden, I felt the need to push,\u201d Rider, 29, said, adding that she instructed her husband \u2014 who was scrolling casually on his phone on the pool deck \u2014 to grab their things and meet at the car.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">That plan was quickly foiled when Rider took two steps out of the pool, and \u201cI collapsed onto all fours,\u201d she said, explaining that her water broke after she landed on the ground. Within seconds, she felt a sensation that the baby was coming out \u201cand there was nothing that was going to stop him,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Lucas \u2014 who was the sole lifeguard on duty at the time \u2014 sprinted over and saw Jones rubbing his wife\u2019s back while on the phone with a 911 dispatcher.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cWe\u2019re having a baby,\u201d he told the very surprised teen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p><span class=\"font--article-body font-copy hide-for-print ma-0 pb-md db italic interstitial\"><a target=\"_blank\" data-qa=\"interstitial-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/lifestyle\/2022\/07\/25\/jake-manna-missing-autistism-girl\/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_21\" rel=\"noopener\">A worker paused to help find a missing girl. He found her waist-deep in a stream.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Before they could give the 911 operator any details, \u201cI realize, the baby is crowning,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI basically threw my phone away.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cI was like, oh dear god, I am going to be catching this baby on the pool deck,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Lucas \u2014 who had been trained to help in emergencies, though not this specific type of emergency \u2014 sprang into action, doing whatever she could to assist the couple during the frenzied delivery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cMy adrenaline kicked in right then and there,\u201d she explained, adding that she immediately grabbed towels and an emergency first-aid kit, and she used a walkie talkie to alert other staff of the situation. She also asked a man who was swimming laps to call an ambulance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cShe was right there the whole time,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">As Rider screamed and pushed \u2014 still on all fours and with one hand holding her swimsuit to the side \u2014 about 10 bystanders watched in disbelief.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cEverybody was kind of in shock,\u201d said Rider, who is a nuclear engineer, though she is taking time off work to look after her children.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">While Jones knelt behind his wife, Lucas tried to ensure Rider was as comfortable as she could be throughout the birthing process.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cI was helping support her head, and the husband was helping guide the baby out,\u201d she said. \u201cI stayed calm, and I didn\u2019t freak out, because that\u2019s what you need to do in this job. You can\u2019t really hesitate or wait for someone else to come. You\u2019re the lifeguard; you\u2019re the lifesaver.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">In a matter of minutes, \u201cI had the baby in my arms,\u201d said Jones, a software engineer. Even though the whole ordeal \u201cwas very quick,\u201d he continued, \u201cin my mind, it felt like forever.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Their son \u2014 Tobin \u201cToby\u201d Thomas Rider \u2014 was crying and breathing well, and \u201cI got him on my chest to keep him as warm as I could,\u201d Rider said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">At that point, Lucas sat back-to-back with Rider, to help her stay propped up as she held her seconds-old son. An ambulance arrived shortly after, and paramedics gave baby Toby a clean bill of health.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">The couple said Lucas was quick-thinking and calm, intuiting what they needed in real time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cI would not have traded Natalie for anybody in that situation,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI\u2019m just so thankful that she was a part of that, and that she supported us the way that she did.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p><span class=\"font--article-body font-copy hide-for-print ma-0 pb-md db italic interstitial\"><a target=\"_blank\" data-qa=\"interstitial-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/lifestyle\/2022\/07\/22\/crystal-dunn-lottery-windfall-strangers\/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_43\" rel=\"noopener\">She won the lottery. Then she shared her windfall with strangers.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cShe really played her part perfectly, and was so sweet to us,\u201d Rider said. \u201cI really, really appreciated her being there, and I\u2019m glad she had that experience with us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">In fact, the couple said that although giving birth at a hospital would have undoubtedly been more private and peaceful than at a public pool, \u201cin some ways, it felt so much more personal and so much more intimate,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Lucas, for her part, said the experience was profoundly fulfilling.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cI\u2019m so glad the baby is okay, and they now have a new addition to their beautiful family,\u201d Lucas said, adding that she feels forever bonded to the couple, and she plans to send Toby annual birthday cards. \u201cI was really happy to help them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">What was ironic about the emergency situation, Lucas added, was that, as a lifeguard, \u201cyou\u2019re trained for death rather than life, so it was a very eye-opening experience.\u201d In this case, rather than preventing death, she was helping to welcome new life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">During her training and certification, Lucas learned how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first aid and water rescues. Helping someone give birth was certainly not a part of the curriculum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cIn past years, I\u2019ve saved a few kids, but nothing quite like this,\u201d said Lucas, who recently graduated high school and is heading to San Diego State University to study criminal justice in the fall. \u201cTo see firsthand how it happens, it was quite amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">The couple spent one night in the hospital and are now home with their new baby boy and two daughters \u2014 Lila, 6, and Abigail, 2.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Contrary to the way in which Toby came into the world, \u201che is very relaxed,\u201d Rider said. \u201cAnd he is very entertained by his sisters.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">The couple, who have been married about seven years, hope to take Toby to the pool someday soon, to express their gratitude to Lucas and other staff who stepped up to help them during such a critical time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cIt was definitely a rewarding experience to know that I was helping them, and I was a part of this big moment,\u201d said Lucas. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s something either of us will ever forget.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p><span class=\"font--article-body font-copy hide-for-print ma-0 pb-md db italic interstitial\"><a target=\"_blank\" data-qa=\"interstitial-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/lifestyle\/2019\/12\/03\/have-story-inspired-life-heres-how-submit\/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_62\" rel=\"noopener\">Have a story for Inspired Life? Here\u2019s how to submit.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"b bt bc-offblack dn-ns hide-for-print\" data-testid=\"mostRead\" subscriptions-section=\"content\"\/><\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/lifestyle\/2022\/08\/01\/lifeguard-ymca-deliver-baby-pool\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Comment on this story Comment It was a typical Sunday morning shift for Natalie&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34361,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learningtheory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34360"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34362,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34360\/revisions\/34362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}