For the most part, parents will do everything in their power to ensure their children don’t have to deal with situations that aren’t age appropriate for them.
Even if we’re not talking about something that could potentially traumatize them, there’s something to be said for letting kids be kids and making sure they don’t grow up too fast.
However, the world isn’t always that simple and sometimes circumstances can arise where a child has to do more than we’d normally consider reasonable. But in those moments, some children can prove that they’re a little too easy to unfairly underestimate.
Because when those circumstances arose for one 9-year-old in Missouri, she stepped up with more strength than we see in some adults.
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On June 28, Angelica Gunn of Belton, Missouri found herself in an uncertain and unenviable situation.
After going into a false labor a couple of days prior, she started experiencing some very real and intense contractions a week before her due date.
To make matters worse, her husband was stuck at work, which meant that only her nine-year-old daughter and four-year-old son were home.
Facing no other option, she called for her daughter Aakayla and explained that she needed her to be her eyes into what was going on because it felt that the baby was about to crown.
Although her daughter was hesitant at first and Gunn herself had reservations about involving such a young child, she could tell the baby was going to come whether they were ready or not.
As she told Good Morning America, “In that moment I was like, this is a moment we’re going to have to share together and it’s a bond her and her sister will have forever.”
Fortunately, this wasn’t a matter that Aakayla would have to figure out herself because Gunn is a nurse and a certified doula.
So while Aakayla “hopped right in” to help, Gunn was able to overcome the excruciating pain she was feeling and coach her daughter through the delivery.
As for how her daughter took the situation, Gunn said, “It’s kind of just amazing how she did that. She didn’t cry, she didn’t freak out or anything.”
During the three hours of labor that followed, Aakayla brought out towels for her mother and was able to grab hold of her baby sister Aubree before handing her off to Gunn.
Soon after, paramedics arrived and took Gunn and her baby to the hospital to ensure the delivery went smoothly. And at last report, the baby is doing well and her siblings are very affectionate towards her.
In the light of the way she handled this emergency, Aakayla’s family figures she may have her own future in the medical field.
h/t: Good Morning America
