Mother goes viral after ‘free birthing’ her son in the ocean with no medical assistance – and her husband brought a SIEVE to catch the placenta.
Josy Peukert, 37, shared a photo on Instagram of herself and her partner, Benni Cornelius, 42, driving to the beach in Playa Majagual, Nicaragua, to deliver her kid.
After refusing scans throughout her pregnancy, she gave birth to her kid without medical help in a so-called “free birth”.
Josy said: “The waves had the same rhythm as the contractions, that smooth flow made me feel really good.”
Explainng her decision, Josy 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.”
When Benni knew her labor was beginning, she packed a birthing kit with towels, a dish with a sieve to catch the placenta, gauze, and paper towels and accompanied Josy and her kids to the beach.
Josy said: ‘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.
“Later that evening we weighed Bodhi with luggage scales, he was 3.5kg or 7lb 6oz.”
She said: “We didn’t have a due date or deadline for the baby to arrive we just trusted that our baby would make its way.
“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 oft volcanic sand under me reminded me there is nothing else between heaven and earth just life.”
She said: “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.
“Bodhi is a really calm and satisfied baby. Everything is wonderful for him if he is in mama’s arms.
“He is just as relaxed as he was in my tummy.”
When Bodhi was two days old, Josy shared a video and birth story on her Instagram page @raggapunzel, where she has 6,800 followers and her video was shared all over the world. It has now been seen over 200,000 times.
However, after sharing her experience, Josy received some comments of concern and criticism about her choice to free birth in the sea.
One commenter asked: “Is this sanitary? There’s a lot of bacteria in the sea.”
Another wrote: “What a shock for that bubba – from a warm womb to the cold
“Bodhi was born in the midday sun when it was approximately 35 degrees, we weren’t worried at all that he’d be chilly, and I had no fears about waterborne diseases,’ she stated in response to the trolls.
“He is in excellent health, I completed all of the necessary research to ensure it was safe.
“I wanted to feel entirely attached to this baby through my own self-directed care.This pregnancy was the most wonderful gift we could have hoped for.”
