This Mom's Viral Video Makes Giving Birth Look Incredibly Easy
Viral water birth video shows a mom staying calm as her baby is born
Women are conditioned by society and even their own friends and family to think that giving birth is a bloody, loud and painful ordeal. And of course, it can be. But as this mom’s viral water birth video proves, it doesn’t always have to be that way.
Midwife Lisa Marie Sanchez Oxenham shared the video to her Facebook page of her client Audra in the final seconds of pushing out her son. She labored in a birthing tub with her partner was by her side and the video shows one seriously magical minute that’s been viewed more than 13 million times with 92,000 shares and climbing.
Audra calmly breathes through her last push and suddenly, there’s a baby. She cries with joy and relief as she pulls the child out of the water and lays him on her chest. It’s an absolutely incredible moment.
Oxenham wrote, “My client Audra’s beautiful second home birth. A midwife’s role is fluid, providing whatever is necessary for each individual birthing experience, although almost always that role is simply to offer the gift of quiet.”
According to the American Pregnancy Association, water births, which are typically attended by a midwife like Oxenham, carry plenty of benefits for both mothers and infants. Moms are soothed and comforted by the warmth of the water and also have more ease of movement due to the water’s buoyancy lessening their body weight. Being immersed in the water can help lower blood pressure and improve blood circulation resulting in less pain for the mother and more oxygen for the baby.
Still, according to NPR, some doctors disagree that a water birth is ideal citing risk of infection and the fact that we don’t have enough evidence yet to say definitively that it’s safe for both moms and babies. However, midwives think this is simply backlash from the increase in popularity for water births over the last several years.
Barbara Harper, founder of Waterbirth International says, “One thing that happens in a water birth, you as the attending physician pretty much have to stand there with your hands in your pockets and let it happen without your participation. That is pretty scary to a physician-oriented institution.”
As with any choice regarding pregnancy, it’s best for moms and their partners to consult with medical professionals in deciding how they want to give birth. There are obviously strong opinions from multiple sides but at the end of the day, a family has to choose what feels right to them and what will hopefully result in a healthy mother and child in the end.
