In a jaw-dropping moment captured on her doorbell camera, a new mom gave birth on her front porch after her labor progressed faster than anyone could have imagined.
Natasha Downing, 34, from Calabasas, California, was 39 weeks pregnant and moments away from heading to the hospital when her waters broke – right on her doorstep. In the astonishing footage, Natasha is seen squatting down outside her home as her husband Tom, 38, helps her deliver their healthy baby girl, Lilybella.
Natasha, who had earlier that day visited her midwife for a routine membrane sweep, was hoping for a calm birth at a local birthing center. But within hours of arriving home, her contractions intensified, and it became clear she wouldn’t make it to the hospital.
“I was walking down the stairs and felt my baby coming. I had to squat down right outside, and then my waters broke,” she explained. “I knew there was no way I was getting to the birthing center.”
What followed was an extraordinary scene, as Natasha gave birth in just a matter of minutes. Tom frantically called their midwife and 911, but it was too late – their 10lb baby girl was already on her way.
“I just screamed for my husband to call the midwife and get me some pain relief, but the baby came so fast,” Natasha recalls. “I felt her head, and I had no choice but to push.”
With her husband by her side and a concerned neighbor rushing over with towels, Natasha managed to deliver baby Lilybella right there on the porch. Despite the intensity of the moment, Natasha said the experience was “empowering.”
“I couldn’t believe it – one push and she was out,” she said. “It was one of the best moments of my life, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Paramedics arrived shortly after the birth, and both Natasha and Lilybella were given a clean bill of health. Reflecting on the experience, Natasha described it as “chaotic but incredible.”
“The birth was everything I had hoped for. It was a little crazy, but it was also so healing and amazing,” she said.
The dramatic footage has since gone viral, with thousands of people around the world captivated by the unbelievable moment a new life was brought into the world – right on the front porch.