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Woman who gave birth unaided in the wild has insisted she isn’t ‘hippy drippy’ – as her YouTube clip hits a staggering 74 million views

Simone Thurber, 43, who now lives in Park City, Utah, says she has been shocked by the amount of attention her 22-minute-and-32-second long home video has attracted, reports The Daily Mail.

The graphic film initially shows the brunette labouring in and out of a bathtub set up in a garden before she heads down to a creek in the Australian Daintree Rain Forrest and finally gives birth without a midwife or doctor present.

Simone, who is trained doula and birthing therapist, is then seen pushing her daughter out as her partner, Nick, steps in to help.

Simone said she uploaded the video to YouTube to show people what it would be like to give birth in nature and she never expected the amount of attention it has received.

‘After 50 people watched it I thought OMG my friends have seen me really naked, after 500 I was shocked.

‘To know that (millions of people) have taken the time to watch me having my now four-year-old daughter Perouze and to get messages from mums and dads thanking me for sharing this intimate birthing experience because it helped them feel less stressed or scared about their birth choice decisions is great.’

‘I am not a hippy drippy mum but I wanted my fourth child to be born away from beeping machines and a hospital environment.

‘Let’s face it women have been giving birth in the wild for thousands of years but the thought a modern women squatting in a creek and giving birth horrified many people even before I gave birth and shared the video.’

The video even inspired the U.S. TV series, Born in the Wild, but Simone had no involvement with the show.

Some viewers have criticized Simone for her unusual birthing location and uploading the video online.

But Simone is more than happy with her choice.

Share your comments below.

Image via YouTube

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  • ive seen this video before but it was lovely to watch again. Good on her for doing it her way. Not for me though….those stones on my feet would ahve driven me crazy.

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  • If she was confident and knew there would be little chance of complications, then good for her. Personally I would never do it. But I also knew I would have a prem baby even though there were no signs that would happen. Now I’ve had a prem baby and some birth complications, the chance of the same issues is even higher, so ill stick to hospital with a team of midwives and doctors on hand.

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  • What she does is her business.

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  • wow so pleased it all went according to plan.

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  • I have to say well done to the mum and her family to have posted this. I would never do this, not in the nature and cerainly, I would never post it online.

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  • Wow! That was such a beautiful thing to witness. I’ve seen quite a few births in the hospital setting, but it’s so much nicer to see surrounded by nature. Good on her for having the courage to birth where she wanted, and not feel the pressure to be in a hospital.

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  • Beautiful that this woman could have the birth she wanted, fir many that isn’t possible. I love it how close she is to bature and how she herself but also her husband and kids perceive that giving birth is the most natural thing to do.


    • Aw so many typo’s ! Can’t see it so well when I respond from my phone

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  • Just beautiful!

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  • wow 52 million views that is epic

    well done to her for having the birth she wanted – in this day and age it seems that a lot of this is frowned upon.

    I personally couldn’t have done that but I admire her for being brave to do it and then even braver to post it to youtube!

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  • Thank you for sharing this intimate moment, I’m sure it will help many expectant mums understand what will happen during birthing process, although personally I would prefer to have medical help immediately available. I had a massive hemorrhage after the birth of my second child, only the quick action of the doctor and nurses present saved me from bleeding out.

    I’ve shown this video to the young mums to whom I minister, the one’s who’ve sought refuge on the streets to keep from being forced into an abortion. No, It’s not good that they’ve not had adequate pre-natal care, and I insist on them birthing in hospital because of this if I find them before the event, but it has been helpful to show the young women what will be happening. So many young women, even today, believe it is just a matter of squatting down and there’s the baby!

    I’m glad that this woman had educated herself about the birthing process, but I personally would still want emergency medical help on hand in case the unexpected happened, as it did with me.

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  • What a beautiful experience. Thank you for sharing it with us. My 4 all ended in c-sections but this was the way I would have preferred. Blessings to you and all your family.

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  • Saw this video a few years back. You need to be comfortable in what you are doing, for me this would be a private thing and would like to know help was not to far away.

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  • I’m watching this in the middle of winter, so it’s hard to imagine wanting to get naked beside a creek, let alone give birth in it, lol. I did however find myself ‘pushing’ along with her, lol. Ahhh the memories :)

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  • Each to their own – it’s not something I would do. And if you don’t want the world watching it, don’t post it on u-tube.

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  • This video is old news. I watched it when I was pregnant with my 4 year old daughter and it recirculated again with the US TV show. I give the woman a virtual high five for having the birth she wanted.

    Reply

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