There are a lot of interesting traditions related to birth, some more outlandish than others. An upcoming British TV documentary Kate Piper’s Extraordinary Births is set to follow an unusual birthing experience. Dorina Rosin and her partner Maika Suneagle have plans to birth their baby with the assistance of a dolphin midwife. Yeah, you can’t make this stuff up.
Instead of having a human on hand to assist, the couple, who runs a healing retreat in Hawaii, have elected to actually use a dolphin to help with the birth of her baby. The mom-to-be will actually give birth in the sea and her birth plan will be chronicled in the Channel 4 special. You can catch Dorina and Maika frolicking with the dolphins while the former is 38 weeks pregnant, below.
Kate Piper, who had an elective cesarean when she gave birth herself, said she found the “dolphin people” to be calm but maybe a little bizarre compared to the rest of the birth experiences that are planned for the special. Here’s the direct quote:
I found the dolphin people a bit out-there but they seemed so happy and the woman was so relaxed. 'I just thought everybody was wonderful and it was all a bit of an eye-opener.
While the women look completely relaxed with the dolphins in the water, there are some possible dangers related to the birth in the open sea. First of all, delivering a baby in the ocean isn’t exactly easy. Then, there’s always the risk that a great white shark may pop up in the waters where Dorina and her partner have planned the water birth. Not to mention that dolphins in the open sea can be dangerous and unpredictable. Male dolphins, especially, are known for their aggressive behavior, killing young sharks and raping females to assert dominance, according to Discover. Having a dolphin for a midwife could easily go awry.
As for Dorina? She doesn’t seem to too concerned about the potential dangers. Instead, she’s just excited that her baby will have a special connection with the dolphins after birth. The couple told The Times they are just happy their kid will be able to “speak" dolphin, whatever that means.
People are into some wacky stuff. Most of the time, we should just let them make their own decisions, as it doesn't alter our daily lives. In this case, however, let’s hope that the dolphin-assisted birth goes off without a hitch and no one gets harmed.
Katie Piper’s Extraordinary Births airs on Channel 4 in the UK
