A woman who went into labor during the Buffalo blizzard delivered her baby at home with the help of her husband and two doulas who guided him through video chat.
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Erica Thomas went into labor two days before Christmas, during the powerful blizzard that declared a state of emergency in Buffalo. Thomas and her husband Davon were unable to leave their home due to the snow, prompting them to call 911, but responders informed them that they would be unable to reach their home due to the storm. According to CNN, Davon contacted one of his friends, Jeter Neville Jr., and asked them to create a post in a Buffalo Facebook group asking for assistance. People offered different suggestions and their phone numbers if the couple needed further assistance.
Raymounda Reynolds, a doula, offered to assist the couple and said she would instruct Davon via video chat on what to do. She told the outlet that she was happy that the couple chose her to help with the birth of their daughter. Devon said Reynolds instructed him to grab towels, sterilized scissors, and a bowl to place the placenta.
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“It was straight tunnel vision. I realized how important this was and all nerves went away,” he said. Reynolds said she tried to keep the couple as calm as possible and her friend, Iva Blackburn, who is also a doula and nurse, assisted them with the medical part of the birth.
Reynolds described the birth as if the Buffalo Bills landed a touchdown and said “It was the most beautiful thing I’ve been a part of.” Erica confirmed the birth of her baby girl on Christmas Eve in a Facebook post.
In the post, Erica thanked her husband and the two women for assisting with the safe delivery of their daughter.
‘Can i brag real quick my husband is the goat he really was on video chat with a nurse and doula and delivered our baby girl at home we are safe and alive thanks to him love u Davon Thomas,’
In response to his wife’s post, Devon wrote: ‘When life puts you in certain situations you have two choices crumble or boss the f*** up.’ The couple named their daughter, Devynn Brielle Thomas, who was born at 3:31 p.m.
The two women continued to tell Devon further instructions on how to handle the afterbirth and cutting his daughter’s umbilical cord. On Christmas Day, the couple was able to go to a hospital after other people from the group said help was on the way. Angel Lugo and his sister saw the couple’s post on Facebook and said they would take them to the hospital but had to walk through knee-deep snow.
Once the snow melts, the family plans to meet the women who helped them deliver their daughter in person.