Most mothers go through nesting right before their baby is born. You want the nursery to be perfect, and every newborn essential ready for action.
Sometimes the nesting urge is so severe that it turns to an obsession, where you can’t rest until that last necessity is squared away.
Well, one young lady pushed her limits to the extreme when she went out for that last baby item, and instead left with something much more rewarding.
Piedmont Maternity reported:
“Tanya St. Preux was shopping at Target when she went into active labor. Thankfully, Caris Lockwood was also inside the store and she happens to work as a labor and delivery nurse at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital.”
St. Preux Picault was pregnant with her fourth child and wanted some maternity undergarments before the birth.
She began having intense contractions associated with active labor but thought she had some time before the arrival of her newest son.
Another shopper, Lisa Bozeman, saw the Georgia woman in pain and went to ask if she needed help with anything.
Fox 5 Atlanta reported on Bozeman’s exchange with the laboring mother:
“I saw a very pregnant woman who looked to be in pain. She mentioned that she needed to get a few things, then ‘might’ go to the hospital to be checked since her contractions seemed to be getting strong.”
As fate would have it, Bozeman’s daughter, who happened to be shopping with her that day, was a labor and delivery nurse.
The nurse, Caris Lockwood, came over at once to help the laboring mother to the car that the friend was bringing around.
Before they could get to the car labor became too intense to continue, and after a strong contraction, Picault’s water broke. This required immediate attention that Lockwood provided.
WPTV News reported:
“I didn’t know she was going to deliver that fast at first, but then she had a really painful contraction and her water broke. As a labor and delivery nurse, I kind of knew what was about to happen.”
It is scary to be in a position where you have to rely on strangers for your well-being. Fortunately, for Tanya, the stranger was a completely capable and trustworthy nurse.
Co-workers sing her praises in social media posts saying,
“If anyone is going to deliver a baby in a parking lot, she’s the one to do it!”
Lockwood instructed her sister Joy, who was shopping with her, to get sterile gloves and a towel when she foresaw what was about to go down.
Shockingly, right there at the Target entrance Tanya safely delivered a 7lb 10oz baby boy with the help of Lockwood.
Coincidentally, there were, also, an ER nurse and a NICU nurse walking by who offered their assistance, although it was not needed.
Piedmont Maternity reported on Tanya’s response to the unusual setting for her son Maleek’s delivery:
“Caris was God-sent and amazing. She was sweet and caring and exceeded everyone’s expectations. She went way over far and beyond.”
Dr. Marjorie Greenfield, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland says:
“Although few women would choose a train or elevator over a hospital or midwife-assisted home birth, Greenfield said quick labors are usually a sign that everything is going smoothly.”
We see this is the case with the healthy delivery of a baby at Target of all places. I know most of us have difficulty leaving with the items we intended to buy, but this unexpected addition is one we can’t argue with.
Reading this story, all your birthing fears may seem all too real. You know, the one about having the baby in the car on the way to the hospital, or giving birth in line at the grocery store.
The reality is that having a spontaneous birth with no warning signs is extremely rare. Be aware of the indicators of impending labor such as:
- Back pain
- Cramps
- The urge to nest
- Frequent or strong contractions
And if you do happen to go into active labor while getting that humidifier that seemed of dire importance in the final days of pregnancy, I hope there is a kind labor and delivery nurse standing by to make the transition into motherhood an easy one.
Please let us know if you have a story of an unexpected delivery and the circumstances that surrounded the ordeal.