A four-year-old girl has helped deliver her baby brother after climbing into her mum’s birthing pool.
April Wild welcomed her third child – a little boy called Grayson – after opting for a water birth at her Cheshire home.
The 29-year-old, who teaches hypnobirthing and pregnancy yoga, wanted to be surrounded by those she loved and that’s exactly what she got when daughter River, decided to jump in the pool and help.
April was also joined by a doula and photographer, Corneli Fleur, from Badass Birth Photography, who captured the extraordinary moment, and her husband.
River, who immediately changed into her swimming costume to help, can be seen holding a wet flannel on her mum’s back and even reaching down to hold Grayson’s hand as he is born.
And River was a “massive help,” according to her mom. While Wild was reportedly distracted during the birth, she says her eager assistant “kept asking what she could to help” and even told Mom to breathe and stay calm during the ordeal.
Suffice it to say, the water birth wing-girl’s act went viral on Instagram, prompting replies of “true inspiration” and “absolutely gutted I can’t have you at my birth.”
But River wasn’t showing off for paparazzi — she had “been involved with the pregnancy from the start,” says her mother.
“She has been fascinated by it, and I was happy to involve her as I want her to see childbirth as a positive experience rather than a scary one,” says Wild.
“It was so peaceful and I’ll never forget her face when he arrived. She was delighted and hasn’t stopped talking about the experience since.”
