Mom Who Had an Unplanned Freebirth Realizes She Had an Unexpected Helper

This is the sweetest story ever

Nicole Gerber and her husband were planning to have a home birth. They’d had their first baby at a birth clinic and were excited to welcome baby #2 into their loving arms in the privacy of their own home.

But Nicole, a self-described 27-year-old Christian wife and mom from Arizona, had no idea her labor and delivery would happen so fast.

On her TikTok channel, Nicole says she is someone who loves all things baking, sewing, decorating, and DIY.

The DIY project she did this time was a freebirth.

In other words, Nicole ended up delivering her baby herself.

Her labor progressed so quickly that the midwife they’d hired didn’t arrive until twenty minutes after the baby was born. Gerber told People Magazine that her unexpected, unplanned freebirth experience was incredibly empowering and positive.

It wasn’t until she and her husband watched the video they took of the birth that they realized something else: Their 3-year-old female Golden Doodle, Penny, had been her faithful doula since her labor had started.

Penny quietly held space, a completely unobtrusive presence, sitting behind Nicole and peering over her shoulder.

Nicole was in the flow of the delivery and didn’t notice. But Penny never left her side.

Before I ever had a dog of my own, I interviewed families who had dogs who attended their births.

Dogs like Penny, it turns out, can be fabulous doulas, helping with birth and beyond…

“My dog delivered my baby!” 7 amazing stories of how man's best friend is a birthing mom's best asset