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Security forces Airman delivers daughter in van

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Paul Zadach and Staff Sgt. Nathan Kemp
  • 934th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL --  Staff Sgt. Nathan Kemp and his wife Natalie were anxious on Sept. 21.

Their third child was due to be born in four days, but there no signs that the baby was coming anytime soon.

"When I left for work at the 934th Security Forces Squadron at approximately 8:20 p.m., nothing seemed out of the ordinary," said Sergeant Kemp.

Within less than two hours, the Kemps welcomed their third child into the world in unexpected fashion - in family van.

At about 8:30, Mrs. Kemp started having contractions but thought they were just more of the false labor pains she had been having.

Thirty minutes later she laid down in hopes the contractions would subside. They didn't. They got more intense.

At about 9:15, she called their babysitter and a friend and started getting ready to go to the hospital while she waited for her midwife to call back.

Guardmount duty for the 934th SFS's Charlie Flight began at 9:30 p.m.

"It was the only time of day I had my cell phone turned off," said Sergeant Kemp. "In the middle of guardmount our shift supervisor answered the phone and was told by the operations controller that I needed to call my off-duty supervisor.

"I stepped out, and Natalie answered the phone in mid contraction," he said. "From what I heard, this seemed like the night, but she said she would call back. Two minutes later she called back and said to come home."

Sergeant Kemp had already talked to his shift leaders, letting them know that the labors for his two other children had gone very quickly and that he expected this one to be fast as well. They were prepared if he had to leave on short notice.

"Thankfully, I was not out on post and was still at the armory so I was able to leave for home within minutes," he said.

When Sergeant Kemp got home at about 9:50 p.m., he found his wife was in very active labor with contractions coming four minutes apart. After changing his clothes, he and his wife got into their van, and their friend Jan followed in her car.

"As we drove, Natalie urged me to speed up," he said. "She said go faster. 'I think the cops will understand.'

"Sensing the urgency, I picked up the pace a little but really didn't want to get pulled over, so I kept things reasonable," he said.

Four minutes into the drive to the hospital, Mrs. Kemp began having contractions three minutes apart and then they began two minutes apart.

Sergeant Kemp could tell that things were progressing extremely quickly, and Mrs. Kemp began questioning if they would make it to the hospital.

"I asked her to just give me fair warning, so I could pull off the highway and find a quiet parking lot," he said. "As we quickly drove down the highway, Natalie asked me to call the hospital and page her midwife."

He called and got this message: "We are sorry, all of our operators are currently busy. Please stay on the line, and someone will be with you shortly."

Sergeant Kemp wondered to himself if there were really that many people calling the hospital at 10 p.m.

As they crossed the Minnesota River, Mrs. Kemp said: "We should turn around and go home. I don't think we're going to make it."

Sergeant Kemp took the next exit ramp. As he entered the turn, his wife told him her water had broken and that she thought the baby was coming.

Sergeant Kemp looked for the closest empty parking lot. An auto repair shop seemed to be the right place. Ironically, a sign in the shop front window read: "Low Labor Rates."

Sergeant Kemp pulled the van into a side lot and got to work.

"I quickly put down the stow-and-go seats, which I was suddenly so thankful for, and helped Natalie to the back of the van," said Sergeant Kemp.

Their friend pulled up behind them, and Sergeant Kemp handed her the phone.

The hospital phone number was still playing its "stay-on-the-line" recording when Mrs. Kemp screamed, "The baby is coming!"

"We got ready as best we could and prepared to receive the little one into the world," he said.

Sergeant Kemp was certified as an emergency medical technician in 2001, so he could deal with medical emergencies as a security forces Airman.

"I wasn't nervous," he said. "I felt surprisingly calm and level-headed and followed the lead of nature in what was happening."

At 10:13p.m., the Kemps welcomed 7-pound, 6-ounce Isabella Grace into the world safe and sound. After a brief discussion about the umbilical cord, they decided to leave things as they were.

By then the hospital operator answered the phone and paged the midwife, who promptly called the Kemps. The couple decided everyone was OK, so Sergeant Kemp continued the drive to the hospital.

Twenty minutes later the midwife met them in the hospital parking lot, hopped into the van and cut the umbilical cord. Mother and child were then admitted to the hospital.

"In retrospect, Natalie and I are both very happy with how events unfolded," Sergeant Kemp said. "Natalie was happy that it went quickly and safely. I was fulfilled because delivering one of my kids was something I'd always wanted to do. It was an exciting and remarkable experience for everyone involved."