As a teenager with your first job, it can be a little overwhelming to navigate the adult work of full-time employment. This teenager, got much more than she bargained for during her work shift when she realized she was the one who would have to assist a woman in labor.
The 18-year-old teen, Natalie, was more responsible than most of her peers which is why she began working as a lifeguard at such a tender age. During her work, she was well aware that she was responsible for the safety of everyone at the pool. During her watch, she would make sure everyone abided by the safety rules and felt safe at the community pool. Natalie has been a lifeguard for three years at this point hence was an old hand at the job and knew the rules like the back of her hand. One day when she was on the morning shift, she noticed a pregnant woman enter the pool area with her husband in tow. While a heavily pregnant woman at the pool was odd, it was not entirely out of the realm of possibilities so Natalie did not pay much attention to it.
The pregnant woman was named Tessa Rider and her husband was Matthew Jones. The couple had come to the pool to ease pains Tessa was experiencing. Tessa’s delivery date had passed and she was experiencing a pain in her hip, which was only alleviated when she was in water which is why the couple sough refuge in the community pool.
Natalie had it in the back of her mind to keep a special eye on Tessa because of her pregnant condition and soon enough noticed that the woman seemed to be struggling. “She had a [pool] noodle to try to relieve some tension from all that weight on the front of her, I’m assuming, and then she started crawling out of the pool … and I was like, alright, I need to go check to make sure everything’s OK there,” the 18-year-old lifeguard recalled.
As Natalie got closer, she noticed that Tessa’s water had broken on the pool deck. Her husband told Natalie his wife was going into labor and that is when Natalie sprung into action. I walk over and Matthew, the husband, he says to me, ‘We’re having the baby right now.’ I’m like, ‘OK!’ Adrenaline kicks in right then and there,” Natalie remembered. While Matthew called 911 for help, Tessa was taking off her swimsuit. That is when Natalie noticed that the baby was already crowning. She was amazed at how calm the couple was despite how rapidly the situation was changing.
“I knew I needed to stay calm and level-headed. The couple was very calm about it all while it was all happening, which kind of surprised me. So I made sure to keep my head on and stay with them, keep asking them questions, keep them focused on the baby and [make sure] that they [were] the most comfortable,” Natalie said.
Natalie sprang into action and grabbed the first aid box and any other medical supplies she could get her hands on. She also grabbed some towels and alerted the front desk in order to get more assistance. The teenager was razor focused on the situation at hand. Natalie helped Tessa get into a position that would be most comfortable for her. The baby finally arrived and Matthew caught him in his hands. During the entire ordeal, other people present at the scene called 911 to get the mother and baby medical attention, which they recieved shortly after. “Without Natalie there, I wouldn’t have been able to give my attention to Toby,” the new mom shared.
