‘Free Birthing’ Ritual Goes Viral After Mother Gives Birth In The Sea

The miracle of birth is a beautiful thing but this story even has us stretching the bounds of our imagination. Josy Peukert, 37, a Nicaraguan woman decided to introduce her child into the world into the salty waters of the pacific ocean.

From going to floating inside their mother’s womb to floating in the sea, the child was born to Peukert and her husband Benni Cornelius, 42 on the shores of the Playa Majagual in Nicaragua.

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Other than going for a ‘free birth’ where she had no medical assistance during the birth of the baby, she also decided to forego any prenatal scans that were recommended.

In a shocking video, the mother is seen squatting in the water as waves crash back and forth.

'The waves had the same rhythm as the contractions, that smooth flow made me feel really good.'

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While ‘free-births’ aren’t quite the norm yet, their number has been growing although there are no official statistics to confirm that growth.

While the process itself is controversial, what was even more shocking about this particular ritual was the fact that the father was on stand-by with a sieve in hand to catch the placenta before it could float away into the ocean and join the fish.

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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.'

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Josy and Benni decided to send their children to stay with a friend when she felt her labor was starting and drove down with a birthing toolkit. The kit included towels, a bowl, gauze, paper towels, and a placenta-catching sieve.

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'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.

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The baby, named Bodhi was later officially weighed using a luggage scale.

'Later that evening we weighed Bodhi with luggage scales, he was 3.5kg or 7lb 6oz.'

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Josy said that she opted for free-birthing because '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.

'This time I had no doctor's appointments or scans or outside influence.

'We didn't have a due date or deadline for the baby to arrive we just trusted that our baby would make its way.

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'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 German couple which emigrated to Nicaragua said they did a lot of research before going for it.

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'The soft volcanic sand under me reminded me there is nothing else between heaven and earth just life.'

‘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.'

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Responding to people that were concerned about whether the whole process was sanitary or safe, Josy responded, 'He is perfectly healthy. I did all the research I needed to to make sure it was safe.

'Water is a barrier that is medically proven. 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.'

Bodhi Amor Ocean Cornelius was born on 27^th February 2022.

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