Labor Nurse Helps Mom Deliver Her Baby At Target
She was there for nursing bras but left with a baby
We know the Target dollar spot can stir up serious feelings in some of us, but for one mom, it must have done more than that, because she literally went into labor at the big red bullseye. But that’s not even the wildest part of this story — a labor nurse from a local hospital happened to be there shopping and was on hand to help deliver the baby.
Best. Target run. Ever.
We told you all about the mom who had her maternity photos done at Target, but Tanya St. Preux has her beat when it comes to showing love for our very favorite retailer. Not that she went into labor there on purpose, but we’re hoping this gets her some free stuff or at least a boatload of coupons.
Piedmont Healthcare shared a photo and the story of their labor nurse, Caris Lockwood, leaping into action to help St. Preux give birth. “An ordinary trip to Target quickly became extraordinary for Piedmont Atlanta Hospital labor and delivery nurse Caris Lockwood. Fellow shopper Tanya St. Preux went into active labor as she was shopping, so Caris jumped right in to deliver the 7-pound, 10-ounce healthy baby boy right there at the store’s entrance.”
Can you even imagine? One minute you’re repeating “paper towels” to yourself over and over so you don’t forget them, and BOOM. Baby.
Lockwood was in the store to buy shoes with her mom when the pair happened upon St. Preux. According to WPTV News, it was Lockwood’s mother, Lisa Bozeman, who suggested she might need a little help. “(Caris’) mom walked up and she politely said, ‘Hey, you don’t look so good. Can I get my daughter? She’s a labor and delivery nurse.’ And I said, ‘Sure,” St. Preux explains.
St. Preux tells Parents she was there to buy nursing bras, but instead, gave birth to her fourth child. “The thing is, I hadn’t realized I was in actual labor,” she explains. It was on her way to the bra section that the contractions she’d had most of the day suddenly sped up. She says they had been an hour apart before she got to the store, but then all had stopped. Once they started up again, it was just 20 minutes before her little boy, Maleek, came into the world.
“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,” says Lockwood. According to Fox 5 Atlanta, Lockwood and her mom were trying to get St. Preux out the door and to the hospital when it became apparent this baby wasn’t going to wait. “We urged her friend to go ahead and bring the car to the entrance and we were helping her to the car. Her contractions and pain were increasing as we walked with her to the car,” Bozeman says. “Just when we got outside the store her water broke.”
“Caris was God-sent and amazing. She was sweet and caring and exceeded everyone’s expectations. She went way over far and beyond,” says St. Preux, who’s thrilled her birth story is in the spotlight so Lockwood can get some much-deserved props. “I’m happy because I feel like Caris deserves attention. She did a wonderful job.”
Happily, it sounds like the birth of this little guy is the start of a friendship between families. “We feel so blessed to have been part of this,” Bozeman tells Fox 5. “We have visited the family at the hospital and their home, and plan to have a lifetime of friendship with them. We love that they are calling us family!”
