Surprise Delivery: Teen Lifeguard Helps Woman Deliver Baby at YMCA Pool

A lifeguard in Colorado learned a new skill when she helped a couple deliver their baby at the pool.

According to a report from the Washington Post, quick-acting YMCA lifeguard, Natalie Lucas, 18, helped bring new life into the world during what she thought, would be an average day.

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The Unexpected Party at YMCA of Northern Colorado

Expectant mother Tessa Rider and her husband Matthew Jones were visiting the Longmont YMCA on Sunday, July 24, 2022, in an effort to help alleviate Rider's pregnancy discomfort.

Rider was 9 months pregnant at the time, past her due date, and feeling extremely uncomfortable due to the summer heat. Her only reprieve came from visits to the pool at the local Y, so she decided to visit for a quick dip.

Upon entering the pool, Rider says she felt immediate relief and then - something else. Suddenly she felt the need to push and quickly got out of the pool. Right after she emerged from the pool, her water broke, and she knew the baby was coming.

Birthing Babies, Not in the Job Description

Rider collapsed on all fours with her husband racing to her side. Lucas happened to be the only lifeguard on duty and was at their side within moments. The couple told the lifeguard that their baby was coming and she leapt into action without hesitation, grabbing towels and an emergency first-aid kit.

The teen used a walkie-talkie to alert fellow staff of the emergency situation and asked a bystander to call an ambulance.

The three sat on the pool deck, with Lucas keeping Rider as comfortable as possible and Rider's husband preparing to guide the baby out. The young lifeguard sat back-to-back with Rider to provide support and within minutes baby boy Tobin "Toby" Rider was born.

As a lifeguard, Lucas has been trained to perform first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and water rescues, but child delivery was not something in the job description.

Healthy Baby and Thankful Parents

The couple and baby Toby spent one night in the hospital. The infant was given a clean bill of health and the family was released the next day.

While Rider and her husband both agree that giving birth at the hospital probably would have been nice, they wouldn't trade the experience with Lucas and believe that  “in some ways, it felt so much more personal and so much more intimate,” Jones stated to the Post.

The baby boy now has a lifetime membership to the YMCA and Lucas is delighted to have experienced such an "eye-opening experience."