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Natalie Bancroft, 30 years old, gave birth to an 11-lb. baby without any epidural. The process required two licensed midwives and an assistant from Spokane River Midwives. Bancroft, who’s a motherhood photographer and a trained doula, gave birth on January 8th. Her photos garnered online recognition.
Bancroft told People, “We knew the baby would be big, closer to 9.5 lbs., but we never thought he would be 11 pounds! I knew my body was doing what it needed to do. The transition was quick, and my body pushed on its own. It felt even shorter because I sat in bed for the first hour of it, and then everything picked up so fast, it seemed to pass by in a blink.”
The whole labor took four hours. Bancroft named her newborn, Simon, which is her third child. Bancroft was able to give birth to her unusually large baby without any pain medicine. Bancroft, who lives in Spokane, Washington, said, “I trusted my body and the birthing process, and knew it worked best without medical intervention.”
Bancroft’s birth photos were taken by Laura Fifield Photography. When they were posted online, commenters were impressed by the way she gave birth to her baby.
According to Mirror, Laura said, “When I arrived she was standing near the birth pool laboring in a candle lit room. Soft music was playing along with essential oils diffusing. Her birth space was serene and comforting.”
Bancroft said, “Dang, I’M impressed I had an 11-lb. baby! But seriously, it shows that women’s bodies are incredible and can do such amazing things. I am not the first, nor will I be the last, to give birth to an almost-toddler.”
Baby Simon was actually six days late, and she even tested negative for gestational diabetes.
Bancroft said, “We are doing well! Just getting through a three-month growth spurt, so he is eating more often right now. He is the happiest baby ever, though, always flirting with strangers from his carrier.”
While others were surprised by his weight, Simon’s mom was surprised by his birth gender. She said, “I was VERY surprised our baby was a boy. I was carrying much like I did with my daughter, so we had thought this one was a girl too!”
Laura Fifield posted the photos as well as gave a brief detail about Natalie and Simon’s story on her website. She also posted some of them on her Facebook page, according to Mirror.
