It was inevitable. A California woman just gave birth on Facebook Live, her husband live-streaming the beautiful journey from start to finish. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but hey, it’s their Facebook page, so who’s to judge?
Right as Fakamalo Kihe Eiki’s wife began getting settled in her hospital room, the proud father-to-be started rolling. In a series of videos, Eiki documented parts of his wife’s 19-hour labor, including when she began pushing and when the parents got to first hear those magical baby screams. “Baby’s out, baby’s out!” Eiki excitedly says from behind the camera. “I’m so happy right now.” Everyone seems to be happy and healthy, and Eiki even posted a follow-up message to his followers after his little one was born. “Thanks guys for enjoying the gift of life with me…lol come celebrate next weekend bbq if in area…” he wrote.
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If you’re interested in seeing the miracle of birth, things get pretty exciting around the 35-minute mark:
Of course, not everyone would be so bold to post a moment as typically private and vulnerable as childbirth to Facebook, but clearly Eiki’s wife was OK with what her husband was doing. Again, it might not be the norm, but it’s what they, as a couple and as two people about to become parents, wanted. So, why not celebrate with them?
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Live-streaming child birth and posting intimate photos from the delivery room (or home) have gotten much more popular over the last few years. Some feel that it’s crass, but if people post mundane videos and photos to their social media accounts, why not document and memorialize something as special as the birth of a child? If someone who’s incredibly active on social media posts things like videos of their dog, photos of their coffee and 14 photos from a trip to the park, why wouldn’t they document this momentous occasion? Why wouldn’t they want it somewhere where it will be forever?
Also, while live-streaming childbirth on a place like Facebook Live is probably reserved for more extroverted people who like sharing so much of their lives, it’s also a good solution to keeping the birth — the actual birth — private while still being able to share it with relatives and friends across the world. Most people have been embroiled in some sort of battle, where they’re trying to explain why they don’t want their mother-in-law in the delivery room with them. Maybe something like this could help soften the blow.
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With posting such an intimate moment for millions of people to see of course comes criticism. Not everyone is onboard with making something normally so private so public, but hey, when it comes to parenting — and when it comes to social media — there really is no one size fits all, right?
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