Today, her birthing video has more than 54 million views and counting. 'My message to women is to trust your bodies and to really do the right birth for you whatever that looks like for you, whether that’s in the hospital ,' she says. A lot of women, she says, haven't even seen a birth when they go to the hospital in labor. She just wants her video to educate both women and men alike on what the birth process really looks like. Thurber stresses that her video isn't prescriptive in any way: She's not saying the *only* way to give birth is in a stream in a rainforest.

especially in a the rainforest, there tend to be some nasty actors like actinomyces, and all of these bacteria can cause infections both before and after delivery.' 'My biggest concern wouldn’t necessarily be having a water birth, but what’s in the water. 'Fresh water and stream water have all types of organisms, viruses, bacteria and protozoa,' he says. The unknown organisms in the stream could potentially harm both mom and baby. Water births are completely safe, he says, but they usually take place in tap water-not a natural stream. As for Thurber's choice of birthing location, he worries about potential dangers in the rainforest. He says you can't act as both 'patient and caregiver' while giving birth, and he recommends women have at least a midwife or doula present to ensure a safe delivery. 'I like the fact that she kind of did it her way, and that’s something women should advocate for themselves,' Abdur-Rahman tells SELF.īut he's not too keen on a couple things: The idea of an unassisted birth, and the potential dangers the rainforest environment presents.

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