Man Delivers Baby At Home Aided By Social Media Videos, Mother Dies

A 28-year-old woman died of complications after giving birth at home using tips from videos on social media in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on Sunday.

Police said Thursday that Krithika (who was identified only by her first name) bled to death when the placenta did not come out of her during the delivery assisted by her husband, his friend and the latter's wife at her home. Police confirmed none of them were medically qualified.

The woman fell unconscious and was rushed to nearby hospital where she was declared dead. The child has been hospitalized.

K. Boopathy, chief health officer of Tiruppur — the city where the couple were residing — said, "The woman lost a lot of blood during the delivery and went into a physiological shock. That is why she collapsed and died.”

He added he registered a case against the couple’s friends who recommended natural medical practices to Krithika and her husband Karthikeyan and convinced them that giving birth at home was better than at a hospital.

“The contractions began at 2 p.m. (4.30 a.m. EDT) but she was taken to the government hospital at only 3.30 pm (6 a.m. EDT) after the baby was born. The husband has been booked and will be investigated in connection to the death,” police said, Indian digital newspaper the News Minute reported.

The couple, who had a five-year-old child, started following instructions from social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube after Krithika became pregnant the second time, preliminary investigations claimed. On Sunday, Krithika was assisted by her husband and the couple who watched instructions on “normal delivery” on their mobile phone and computer.

Investigating officer Jeyachandran, who was also identified by his first name only, said, "All of them had encouraged 'natural delivery' and the woman never went for a checkup to any doctor or hospital,” national television station NDTV reported.

Police said the extended family of the couple believed a grandfather who died a week before the baby was conceived was going to be reborn as the child.

In a similar incident in April, a 22-year-old woman gave birth to her baby in a hotel room in Istanbul by watching YouTube videos on the best ways to deliver a child without any assistance while she was travelling to Germany from the United States.

Tia Freeman, a computer specialist in the U.S. Air Force, realized she was going into labor while going through customs. Not keen to give birth at the airport, she rushed to a nearby hotel.

The incident came to light when she shared her experience on Twitter.

“I spring into action. Filling up the tub with warm water, grabbing a towel to bite down on, grabbing another towel to wrap him/her up,” she wrote on Twitter, adding, “The internet said there were a couple positions that people find the most comfortable. I picked the one that worked for me and I was like okay BOOM let’s birthed this baby.”

“The experience taught me so much. I learned how to be resourceful and calm under pressure. I was able to bond one on one with my son from his first breaths,” she said.