A mother who delivered her baby in the lapping waves of the Pacific Ocean has revealed why she shunned a hospital birth.
Josy Peukert went viral after sharing a video of her delivery in the waters off Playa Majagual in Nicaragua.
The clip, shared on Instagram, has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, with the 37-year-old saying the rhythm of the Pacific Ocean made the “free birth” – birthing a child without medical or midwifery help – relatively worry-free.
“Because the conditions were right on the day — that’s what I did,” Peukert told Jam Press, adding: “I got this idea in my head I wanted to give birth in the ocean.”
“For weeks, I monitored the tide, and so when the time was right for me to give birth, I knew the beach would be safe for us.”
Puekert went into labor on February 27, with her husband Benni Cornelius driving them to the beach loaded with towels and gauze.
They also brought a bowl with a “sieve to catch the placenta”.
Vision captured on the day shows the mother holding her newborn – Bodhi Amor Ocean Cornelius – close before they packed up their birthing toolkit and returned home.
Camera IconJosy Peukert went viral after sharing a video of her delivery in the waters off Playa Majagual in Nicaragua. Credit: Supplied/Josy Peukert
“The waves had the same rhythm as the contractions; that smooth flow made me feel really good,” Peukert said.
“The soft volcanic sand under me reminded me there is nothing else between heaven and earth, just life.”
Parker revealed she had considered the ocean birth after troubling previous experiences.
“My first birth was traumatic in a clinic, and my second birth was a home birth, but by the third, even a midwife in my home was too much,” the mother said.
“This time, I had no doctor appointments, scans, or outside influence.”
She found plenty of praise from those following her journey online – with some describing her decision as “empowering”.
“What a legend, what a mother, what a lucky boy! Pure nature is all you need,” one person said.
While some considered whether the birthing experience was “sanitary”, Peukert said her little bundle of joy is “perfectly healthy”.
Camera IconPuekert revealed she had considered the ocean birth after troubling previous experiences. Credit: Supplied/Josy Peukert
Charles Darwin University professor of midwifery Sue Kildea said she “believes in a woman’s choice” but warned that there are risks with “freebirthing”.
“Midwives go through significant education to enable them to support women to birth safely and to recognize when things are not going well for mother or baby, escalating or referring as required,” she told news.com.au.
“This support is not available with a free birth.”
