A 37-year-old mother is describing her recent birth experience in the Pacific Ocean as “beautiful.”
Josy Peukert gave birth to her and her husband-to-be Benni Cornelius’ newborn son, Bodhi Amor Ocean Cornelius, on Feb. 27 along the shoreline of Playa Majagual in Nicaragua.
The mother and her 42-year-old fiancé also have a 2-year-old child together. And, in total, they are raising seven children, four of them belonging to Peukert.
“I got this idea in my head, I wanted to give birth in the ocean and, because the conditions were right on the day, that’s what I did,” Peukert told the Daily Mail. “After Bodhi was born and wrapped up in towels, I went back into the ocean to freshen up. Then I got dressed and we packed everything up and drove home, where the three of us got straight into bed.”
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As for why she opted for an oceanside delivery, Peukert said she wanted to have a “worry-free experience for once,” noting her first birth in a clinic was “traumatic” and that one of her home births with a midwife was “too much.”
“This time, I had no doctors’ appointments or scans or outside influence,” the mother explained. “We didn’t have a due date or deadline for the baby to arrive; we just trusted that our baby would make its way. … I had no fears or worries to welcome a new little soul into our lives, just me, my partner and the waves.”
While it is certainly encouraging the couple has given birth to a newborn son in a culture that increasingly celebrates ending life through abortion, we should note God has a perfect plan and design for parenting and pro-creation, and that is within the confines of a marriage between one man and one woman.
The author of Hebrews wrote, “Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers” (13:4, CSB).
The February delivery, which the couple recorded and shared publicly for the first time this week, is known as a “free birth,” given it involves no professional medical intervention.
So-called “free births” are incredibly controversial. In 2018, a woman in California tragically lost her baby after a six-day labor before seeking any medical intervention. Similarly, in February 2019, a woman named Judith lost her baby to stillbirth after 45 weeks of pregnancy.
As for any concerns about her birth, Peukert said she had “no concerns” about her son’s safety or the potential for any “waterborne infections.” She said he is “perfectly healthy,” noting she did plenty of research to make sure such a birth “was safe.”
Peukert described the unique birth experience as “beautiful,” adding, “The soft volcanic sand under me reminded me there is nothing else between heaven and earth — just life.”
Baby Bodhi was born weighing in at 7 pounds and 6 ounces. He is now 13 weeks old. The mother said her newborn “is a really calm and satisfied baby” and is “just as relaxed as he was in my tummy.”
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