San Francisco-based couple Marco Rogers and Aniyia Williams have taken to Twitter the unexpected tale of giving birth to their first child at home last Jan. 2.
They have captured the attention of hundreds on the social network, who relished not only the cute photos of the new bundle of joy but also the incredible story of Marco Rogers delivering his own child.
Thirty-four-year-old Rogers, an engineering manager at Clover Health, recounted his wife’s desire for a natural birth, even reading up on hypnobirthing – a discipline that teaches pregnancy women meditation and relaxation techniques during childbirth.
Unexpected Home Birth
Saturday morning, Williams woke up with contractions, five days ahead of her expected labor. The contractions because stronger and closer together, prompting the couple to call the hospital twice, which then told them to wait.
“Apparently, they weren’t close enough yet,” Rogers recalled in an interview.
But they knew they wouldn’t make it to the hospital even as they lived 20 minutes away from it, as Williams’ water already broke after taking a bath and the baby’s head started to crown while they headed to their garage to reach the car.
The couple headed back to the house while Williams’ father, who flew in for the anticipated birth, called 911. They followed instructions from the personnel over the phone.
“I can’t do it. I was so afraid that I would hurt her or my wife,” Rogers tweeted, referring to baby Noemi. “She feels so fragile. I can’t. But I have to. What do I do?”
When a fresh contraction started anew, There were some wailing and pushing, and baby Noemi was born out into the world. The baby was born only 15 minutes after the mother’s water broke.
“She’s Blue,” Other Realizations
Rogers had plenty of realizations after Noemi was born, including how newborns are very slippery. The father also had a moment of panic when he thought: “[S]he’s blue. She can’t breathe!”
Rogers shifted the baby a little, moving her into his arms and with an occasional bounce and pats on the back. The baby responded favorably: spat out some fluid, wiggled a little, and let out a sharp cry. Noemi then breathed.
First responders arrived shortly at their house with practically nothing left to do, recalled Rogers. EMTs helped the father clamp off and cut the umbilical cord, in that case on the “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” book found nearby.
Williams tweeted that the bedroom looked like a murder scene – when it was first-hand witness to the miracle of childbirth at home.
When they made it to the hospital, Rogers said the doctors and nurses were amazed at their “home birth with no complications,” dubbed a rare occurrence and a story that spread like wildfire in the facility. “We were semi-famous,” Rogers added.
How do they plan to tell this marvelous tale to Noemi, where she is the main character?
“I’ll think of it as her birthday story,” Rogers said, who planned to repeat the story to their firstborn every year on her birthday.
