The body and baby don’t follow prescribed dates, they don’t follow prescribed time frames, they don’t follow managing how and when or in what manner we birth but just does it the way it was meant to and when it does it just happens anywhere, and anytime.
Aren’t women amazing. Like the old saying, “All you need is a vagina & floor space”. Or in this case – back seat space! Champion management, and lovely birth supporters too.
An obstetrician in Brazil gave birth in her car — and the stunning moment was captured on camera.
In an Instagram video posted on Oct. 24, Dr. Gabriela Correia, 33, is shown having a baby in a gas station parking lot. Correia was joined by her husband, Gilberto Godoy, doula Joana Nunes, fellow OB/GYN Larissa Gomes and photographer Deborah Ghelman, who documented the entire delivery.
While speaking with local news outlet globo, Correia said she and Godoy called in reinforcements when it became clear they weren’t going to make it the hospital in time. Correia was 9 centimeters dilated. Once the cervix has reached 10 centimeters, it’s time to start pushing.
Photo credits: Deborah Ghelman
“I had a good support system,” Correia said. According to Ghelman, everyone in the vehicle remained calm while running on adrenalin.
“There was no fear, only joy,” Ghelman told TODAY Parents in Portuguese, which was translated, noting that Correia specializes in delivering babies and “everyone was well prepared.”
Ghelman said she’s pleased that the video is grabbing global attention because it shows what women are capable of doing without medical interventions such as epidurals.
Photo credits: Deborah Ghelman
“She is in charge of her body and of the baby,” Ghelman said.
“We were anxious to know if it was a boy or a girl, but we opted to wait and find out in the moment and experience a different adventure,” Correia explained in the interview with the globo. “I just didn’t think it would be so many different things at once!”
Correia and Godoy are now the proud parents of two sons: Dante and baby Artur.
Artur, who was born on Oct. 24, has already been discharged from the hospital and is home with his family.
“He’s super healthy and wonderful,” Correia told the Brazilian outlet. She also thanked her support network.
“Everyone involved in the birth had been with me through difficult times. I went through the loss of my first child, and it was very painful,” she told the Brazilian outlet. “They were with me and supported me during that process. So, it’s a long journey I’ve had with them.”
