(Trends Wide) — Two days before Christmas, inside her house, a mother-to-be started having contractions.
Erica and Davon Thomas were expecting their first child on Christmas Day, but around 11 pm on December 23rd Erica’s contractions began.
On Christmas Eve morning, the contractions worsened, but the Thomases couldn’t leave their house because snow from the winter storm had piled halfway up the front door of their Buffalo home, Davon told Trends Wide.
The father-to-be called 911 for help and was told they would try to get an emergency vehicle out as soon as possible. When he called back later, he was told that first responders had tried to get to his house but couldn’t.
“I started thinking, ‘Well, how is my baby going to be delivered safely?'” Davon told Trends Wide.
That’s when he realized they were going to do this alone.
Davon called a friend, Jeter Neville Jr., who posted to the couple in a Buffalo Facebook group, asking for help.
Comments poured in from people offering advice, help and even sharing their phone numbers. Raymonda Reynolds, an experienced doula of five years, was among them.
Erica, Davon and newborn Devynn Thomas safe at the hospital after giving birth at their Buffalo home. (Credit: Davon Thomas)
Reynolds spoke to Davon around 1 p.m., when Davon expressed concern for his wife and son.
“I’m so happy that they chose me, there were a lot of people they could have called,” Reynolds told Trends Wide.
Reynolds said he could hear Erica in the background, clearly in labor, as she began to tell Davon what to do.
“It was complete concentration,” Davon recalled. “I realized how important this was and all the nerves went away.”
With Reynolds’ guidance, Davon grabbed towels, a pair of sanitized scissors, and a kitchen container (to catch the placenta).
The two eventually connected to a video call so that the doula could better assist them.
“I kept telling Erica to take a deep breath,” Reynolds said, “I was trying to keep them calm and reassure them.”
As Erica paced through the house in pain, Davon’s job was to keep a close eye on her.
Reynolds also added her friend, doula and nurse Iva Blackburn, to the call. “She brought that extra comfort with the medical history,” Reynolds said.
A little after 3 pm, the two doulas on the video call advised Davon to look at the baby with a flashlight.
As she hung up the phone to check, Erica yelled, “The baby is crowning!”
Baby Devynn Briell Thomas was born at 3:31 pm on December 24, weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 50 centimeters. (Credit: courtesy of Davon Thomas)
Erica then described a burning sensation and emitted what Reynolds described as “a primal moan.”
Davon held a stack of towels under Erica as she reached down and pushed. The room was silent, and then Erica yelled, “He’s here!”
“We started yelling like it was a Buffalo Bills touchdown run,” Reynolds said. “It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever been a part of.”
Devynn Briell Thomas was born at 3:31 pm on December 24, weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 50 centimeters.
The doulas advised the new parents to clean Devynn’s mouth and nose and ensure skin-to-skin contact with the mother. Then, the baby let out her first cry.
The two doulas stayed on the phone with the couple to help with the placenta and cut the umbilical cord.
“I couldn’t have done it without them,” Davon said, adding that he and his wife were in shock. “It was very comforting to know that they were there.”
And it is social networks that made it possible. Facebook “can be complicated at times, but it can save and change lives,” Reynolds said.
After the successful delivery, the family’s next task was to get mother and baby to the hospital, despite the snowstorm. Around 4:30 am on Christmas Day, Davon received a call saying that help was on the way.
Angel Lugo’s family had seen the Facebook post and his sister told Davon that Lugo would come to take them to the hospital, he said.
Snowfall prevented Lugo from parking at the family home, leaving the new mom, dad and baby walking three blocks through knee-deep snow to get to the car.
“We had to walk through quite a bit of snow,” added Davon. “It was like a scene from a movie.”
Davon said his family returned home safely Tuesday, and that Erica and Devynn “are both doing great.”
And once the snow melts, they plan to come face to face with the doulas who helped them.
— Trends Wide’s Julie In contributed to this report.
Related Post
(Trends Wide) — Two days before Christmas, inside her house, a mother-to-be started having contractions.
Erica and Davon Thomas were expecting their first child on Christmas Day, but around 11 pm on December 23rd Erica’s contractions began.
On Christmas Eve morning, the contractions worsened, but the Thomases couldn’t leave their house because snow from the winter storm had piled halfway up the front door of their Buffalo home, Davon told Trends Wide.
The father-to-be called 911 for help and was told they would try to get an emergency vehicle out as soon as possible. When he called back later, he was told that first responders had tried to get to his house but couldn’t.
“I started thinking, ‘Well, how is my baby going to be delivered safely?'” Davon told Trends Wide.
That’s when he realized they were going to do this alone.
Davon called a friend, Jeter Neville Jr., who posted to the couple in a Buffalo Facebook group, asking for help.
Comments poured in from people offering advice, help and even sharing their phone numbers. Raymonda Reynolds, an experienced doula of five years, was among them.
Erica, Davon and newborn Devynn Thomas safe at the hospital after giving birth at their Buffalo home. (Credit: Davon Thomas)
Reynolds spoke to Davon around 1 p.m., when Davon expressed concern for his wife and son.
“I’m so happy that they chose me, there were a lot of people they could have called,” Reynolds told Trends Wide.
Reynolds said he could hear Erica in the background, clearly in labor, as she began to tell Davon what to do.
“It was complete concentration,” Davon recalled. “I realized how important this was and all the nerves went away.”
With Reynolds’ guidance, Davon grabbed towels, a pair of sanitized scissors, and a kitchen container (to catch the placenta).
The two eventually connected to a video call so that the doula could better assist them.
“I kept telling Erica to take a deep breath,” Reynolds said, “I was trying to keep them calm and reassure them.”
As Erica paced through the house in pain, Davon’s job was to keep a close eye on her.
Reynolds also added her friend, doula and nurse Iva Blackburn, to the call. “She brought that extra comfort with the medical history,” Reynolds said.
A little after 3 pm, the two doulas on the video call advised Davon to look at the baby with a flashlight.
As she hung up the phone to check, Erica yelled, “The baby is crowning!”
Baby Devynn Briell Thomas was born at 3:31 pm on December 24, weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 50 centimeters. (Credit: courtesy of Davon Thomas)
Erica then described a burning sensation and emitted what Reynolds described as “a primal moan.”
Davon held a stack of towels under Erica as she reached down and pushed. The room was silent, and then Erica yelled, “He’s here!”
“We started yelling like it was a Buffalo Bills touchdown run,” Reynolds said. “It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever been a part of.”
Devynn Briell Thomas was born at 3:31 pm on December 24, weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 50 centimeters.
The doulas advised the new parents to clean Devynn’s mouth and nose and ensure skin-to-skin contact with the mother. Then, the baby let out her first cry.
The two doulas stayed on the phone with the couple to help with the placenta and cut the umbilical cord.
“I couldn’t have done it without them,” Davon said, adding that he and his wife were in shock. “It was very comforting to know that they were there.”
And it is social networks that made it possible. Facebook “can be complicated at times, but it can save and change lives,” Reynolds said.
After the successful delivery, the family’s next task was to get mother and baby to the hospital, despite the snowstorm. Around 4:30 am on Christmas Day, Davon received a call saying that help was on the way.
Angel Lugo’s family had seen the Facebook post and his sister told Davon that Lugo would come to take them to the hospital, he said.
Snowfall prevented Lugo from parking at the family home, leaving the new mom, dad and baby walking three blocks through knee-deep snow to get to the car.
“We had to walk through quite a bit of snow,” added Davon. “It was like a scene from a movie.”
Davon said his family returned home safely Tuesday, and that Erica and Devynn “are both doing great.”
And once the snow melts, they plan to come face to face with the doulas who helped them.
— Trends Wide’s Julie In contributed to this report.
