Natasha Downing was en route to a birthing center to deliver her baby on August 22 when her daughter had other plans.
“I could feel the baby coming. I could feel my body starting to push her out,” she recalled, describing how her contractions intensified and the pain became unbearable as she stepped outside with her suitcase and a crying toddler in tow.
“As soon as we were outside, my water broke, and Tommy looked between my legs and exclaimed, ‘The baby’s head is halfway out,’” she explained.
Her husband, Tom Downing, assisted her as she squatted down on the concrete, grabbing blankets and towels while urgently contacting their midwife.
“She just came right into my arms,” Tom remembered of the moment their new baby, Lilybella, arrived.
However, the parents experienced a brief panic when the baby was born.
“We didn’t realize that most babies are born blue and that it takes a moment for them to cry,” Natasha said.
After rubbing the baby’s back for about a minute, Lilybella finally let out a cry, prompting her father to join in the celebration.
“It was just the most beautiful thing,” he recalled.
When the midwife arrived and weighed Lilybella, the family discovered she weighed 10 pounds.
In the midst of the unexpected chaos, Natasha remained composed, Tom noted.
“She knew exactly what was happening and how to handle her body,” he said. “Seeing her deliver our child and the energy that washed over her was incredibly powerful. I’ll never see her the same way again. It was amazing.”
