This is the incredible moment a mother gave birth on her front porch.
Footage shows Natasha Downing, who was 39 weeks pregnant at the time, heading out to the car en route to the hospital when her water broke on her doorstep in Calabasa, California.
Her doorbell camera captured Natasha, 34, squatting down and giving birth to a baby girl, Lilybella, with her husband Tom, 38, by her side.
Tom later filmed Natasha lying on the floor with Lilybella in her arms and towels draped over her body while they were waiting for midwives to arrive.
Natasha said about the sudden birth: ‘I’m walking down the stairs and I feel my baby coming. I had to squat down outside and then my waters break. I knew I wasn’t making it to the birthing centre.’
Footage shows Natasha Downing, who was 39 weeks pregnant at the time, heading out to the car to head to the hospital when her water broke on her doorstep in Calabasa, California. Her doorbell camera captured Natasha, 34, squatting down and giving birth to a baby girl
Tom later filmed Natasha lying on the floor with Lilybella in her arms and towels draped over her body while they were waiting for midwives to arrive
Their toddler son also came to greet his mother and baby sister outside their home
On the morning of the birth, Natasha visited her midwife around 11.30am who gave her a membrane sweep (a common procedure that is used to help induce labour naturally) as Natasha wanted to give birth at a birthing centre.
After being sent home by her midwife, Natasha’s labour started just a few hours later.
She started having contractions every three minutes but was not in any pain; but decided to call up her midwife who lived 15 minutes away to let her know that her labour had started.
Soon, the pain increased, and the contractions started to shorten to just one minute apart. This severe pain led to the Natasha ending the call with the midwife.
After hanging up, the 34-year-old and her husband Tom, decided to wait 30 minutes, but as she hung up, within two minutes her contractions were too painful for her to stand, and knew it was time to head to the hospital.
With contractions shortening again to just 10 seconds, her whole labour was over within an hour.
Tom, her 38-year-old husband, started running around the house, packing the car, and getting ready to take his wife to the birthing centre.
Realising she couldn’t move, the mum-to-be struggled to get her clothes on.
Waiting for a few minutes to give her enough time to get up, Natasha decided to make a move down the stairs but then, the baby started to come.
Natasha kept screaming for Nitrous Oxide and asked her husband to call the midwife back as she needed the pain relief badly.
Walking down the stairs, she instantly felt her baby coming and managed to just make it outside her front door.
Squatting down on the porch, Natasha’s waters broke, and her husband crouched down and soon saw the baby’s head poking out. As Tom called the midwife, her dad called 911 to get help.
But before the couple knew it, it was too late, and their little girl was on the way.
Tom is pictured above as he is leaving his home, closely followed by Natasha
Tom took a video of Natasha lying on the floor with their newborn baby girl Lilybella
Lilybella was born perfectly healthy at 18.25pm 10lbs (4.5kg), whilst a midwife and paramedics soon arrived at the scene to check over the mum and baby.
Natasha told how despite the chaos; her birth was one of the best experiences of her life.
She said: ‘She was perfectly healthy, it was everything I had ever dreamed of this was everything I had wanted for both of my births – it sounds like it would be a traumatic birth, but it was very healing and really amazing.’
‘After I hung up the phone on the midwife, I decided to wait 30 minutes and then as soon as the call ended, within two minute my contractions were too painful for me to stand.
‘I wasn’t able to stand or move and there was no way I was getting clothes on and no way I was making it to the birthing centre.
‘I was walking down the stairs and I feel my baby coming. I just felt my body pushing her down. The brain isn’t working the way it is when you’re normal and cognizant.
‘I just kept screaming at him at Tom to get Nitrous Oxide and tell the midwife to get it ready, as I’m thinking I can’t get there.
‘I got past the front door, I squatted down and my water breaks, to which then my husband crouches and sees the baby’s head poking out of me.
‘I got into the squat, and I just breathed like I just did not push at all, and her heads cleared on her own.
‘As my husband looked, he told me the baby’s blue and only her head was out, and I feel her pushing backward.
‘I didn’t know how she was going to clear in this position. So, I got on my side and I’m lying with my leg in the air.
‘I was on call to my midwife, and all I know is I have to push to clear her shoulders. My husband got her head and it’s amazing. My neighbour ran out and pulled my head onto her lap and came out with towels.
‘It’s like a wave going through my body and that was my only push, and she came out and she was totally fine. One push and she came out, and I gave birth at 18.25pm.
‘My midwives arrived, and I birth the placenta when they came. The midwives checked the baby and gave her a vitamin K shot and I stayed home.’
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