Giving birth is an incredible experience — after all, there’s a reason it’s called the “miracle of birth.” And these days, there are a large number of different ways to deliver a baby, from cesarean section to epidural-free births and even home water births.
Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video 🙂
But one mother named Josy Peukert delivered her fourth child in Feb. 2022 in a way that was uniquely her own. Peukert, who hails from Germany but is based in Nicaragua, decided she wanted to deliver her baby outside of a hospital and in nature, specifically, the Pacific Ocean.
Peukert delivered a healthy baby boy named Bodhi Amor Ocean with the help of her husband, Benni Cornelius. When it was time for their son to arrive, Peukert left her other three children with a friend and she and Cornelius drove to the beach, equipped with a birthing kit that consisted of towels, gauze, paper towels and a bowl with a sieve that was intended to catch the placenta.
The mother opened up to The Mirror about her motivations for the rather unique delivery. She said, “I got this idea in my head I wanted to give birth in the ocean and because the conditions were right on the day that’s what I did.” She added, “The waves had the same rhythm as the contractions, that smooth flow made me feel really good.”
Peukert told the publication about what happened after she had delivered her son:
“After Bodhi was born and wrapped up in towels I went back into the ocean to freshen up. Then I got dressed and we packed everything up and drove home where the three of us got straight into bed.”
The mother explained that she wasn’t happy with her previous births, which is why she decided to go with such a different approach for baby number four. She told The Mirror:
“I wanted to be worry-free for once. 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.”
She revealed that she “had no doctor’s appointments or scans or outside influence” during her pregnancy and they didn’t even “have a due date or deadline for the baby to arrive,” as they “just trusted that our baby would make its way.” She added:
“I had no fears or worries to welcome a new little soul into our lives, just me, my partner and the waves. It was beautiful. The soft volcanic sand under me reminded me there is nothing else between heaven and earth just life.”
Peukert’s story went viral after she shared photos and videos of the special moment on her Instagram, but the public had mixed views. Many people wrote about the “beautiful” experience, while one user said she was “in awe and so inspired.” However, others wondered about whether it was “sanitary” and the shock of the cold water on the baby. Peukert told The Mirror:
“Bodhi was born in the midday sun when it was about 35 degrees, we weren’t worried at all that he’d be cold and I had no concerns about waterborne infections. He is perfectly healthy.”
She added:
“For me and this baby, I wanted to feel completely connected by my own self directed care. This pregnancy was the greatest gift we could have imagined and wished for.”
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
What do you think about Josy Peukert’s water birth directly in the Pacific Ocean? Let us know, then pass this on so others can read about this unique birth journey too.