If it’s not your job and you have no experience doing so, helping someone deliver a baby is a daunting and terrifying task.
For most, it would have them so out of their depth that they would be far too overwhelmed to do more than panic for several minutes!
But for Hunter, just three years old, this idea is beyond exciting.
That’s why when her mother, Rebecca Joseloff, knew her son would be born soon, she wanted little Hunter to be there when she gave birth.
So she and her family arranged to have a very special sort of delivery that would allow Hunter to witness the moment her baby brother came into the world.
In order to prepare the young toddler for what was to come, midwife Nicole Lahey helped to introduce her to the concept of childbirth.
Under supervision, Hunter watched some videos of births taking place, taught her some simple terms (like “placenta”), and showed her basic anatomy that she’d need to know so that she would understand what is going on.
Joseloff and Lahey did not want young Hunter to feel uncomfortable or grossed out by what happened. Joseloff said that this is why the way they taught Hunter was important.
Being a young kid, Hunter’s only idea as to whether something was horrifying or scary or amazing was up to the ideas adults gave her.
So they made sure to make it out to be a natural, incredible moment, which childbirth truly is, and taught her about what she should expect.
This would allow Hunter to be ready when the time came! Joseloff thinks childbirth is a magical moment – and we agree! – and she certainly was thrilled to imagine Hunter being there for the birth of her own sibling.
This would help her forge a connection with her brother as soon as he entered the world.
The red-letter day soon came, and Joseloff went into labor. Hunter was there the whole time to cheer her on!
She provided some much-needed entertainment and distraction as the process went on.
She had plenty of questions to ask, had fun playing with her dolls as she watched, and even ate a few snacks during the waiting period.
When Joseloff finally began to push the little baby out, crying out as she went, Hunter was not nervous or ashamed.
Instead, she comforted her mother by stroking her hair. She even wanted to be the first to touch her brother, so she reached out and, apparently, gently touched his head when he began to crown!
Joseloff and Lahey even allowed Hunter to take part in skin-to-skin contact.
Lahey explained that newborn babies truly love being nestled against the skin of their family members.
So Hunter joined in, divesting herself of her shirt and holding her brother for the first time.
She fell so deeply in love with her brother that she didn’t want to return him to her mom!
Some parents who have heard about this birth – which has gone viral across the Internet – don’t think children that young should be present for deliveries.
Lahey, herself, thinks that it’s an individual decision up to the parents.
After all, every family and child is different! But for siblings who do get to witness the birth of their brothers or sisters, it certainly starts their bond off in a deep and meaningful way.
