A mom from Los Angeles is going viral for the unbelievable way her fifth baby entered the world—without a single push.
Jessie Ginsburg arrived at the hospital after a long night of contractions and elevated blood pressure, she explained in a reel on Instagram.
"This was my fifth baby, and my deliveries had always been pretty quick and easy—I was expecting this one to be that way as well. It's a very scary feeling, especially knowing I have four small children at home, to have something so frightening happen which I had no control over," Ginsburg told Newsweek.
Despite being administered Pitocin—a synthetic hormone that can help induce labor—she was still only 3cm dilated. "They said they'd check me again in 4 to 6 hours, so we mentally prepared for a long night ahead," the 37-year-old told Newsweek.
Exhausted, she decided to rest but when she woke up, she was in a pool of blood from head to toe. "A blood clot the size of an orange that came out of me," she said in the reel. Feeling light-headed and nauseous, hospital staff performed an ultrasound that showed her baby's vitals were healthy, reassuring the mom.
Two hours later, her contractions intensified, even with an epidural. While trying to turn onto her back with the help of a nurse, the unimaginable happened.
"I moved my leg to turn onto my back, and that's when she noticed the baby's head was completely out. I couldn't see what was happening, but I looked over at my partner Chris and he had this look on his face, half terrified, half shocked," she explained.
Within seconds, medical staff filled the room but the baby had already slipped into the world.
"I had no time to process that I was delivering my baby, he just came right out. When they placed him on my chest I was just in shock and I think I said, 'Oh my god" about a hundred times," Ginsburg said.
Rachel FitzD, a specialist midwife for 30 years and now an expert speaker at The Baby Show, told Newsweek that it's easy to assume babies can only be born if mothers are putting in the most monumental physical efforts, thanks to TV shows and movies.
During labor contractions, the baby will have moved into the very best position for coming through and out more easily. "At this point, certain nerve endings in the muscles of the vagina and pelvic floor get a good press from the baby's head which trigger a pushing reflex," FitzD said.
This reflex can overcome expectant mothers, causing them to push instinctively along with the contractions.
How strong this urge feels can vary due to several factors, FitzD said, such as the position of the baby, whether the woman has given birth before, the size of the baby or if the mother has been administered any drugs such as an epidural.
"Sometimes, the combination of elements means that women simply never get an urge to push and the body... simply pushes the baby out without any extra effort from mom. Even when the woman has been only too aware of the labor contractions which have opened up the cervix, there can be a calm descend when baby is ready to be born, the contractions change in nature and baby simply eases out," she said.
Since it was posted on January 2, the clip has been viewed 5.5 million times and received over 2,000 comments. Many other fellow moms shared their birth stories: "Their baby came out with 1 push, or their baby came out while they were getting an epidural, or even one woman who commented her baby came out suddenly and fell on to the floor," Ginsburg said.
"It's been a great opportunity for birthing specialists to step in and educate the public about why and how this could happen, as well as how amazing our bodies are—birth is a natural process and our bodies know what to do," she added.
English (US) ·