I didn’t make this story up. Somebody else might have, but I’m not guilty of such creativity. Dorina Rosin is about to have a child, and while water births are a very common practice, her decision to give life in the ocean isn’t as “normal.” And to make the life event even more made for TV, this won’t just be your ordinary everyday child being born in the Pacific. No, apparently that would be mundane, so Rosin is going to use a dolphin as a midwife. And yes, the reference to this being made for TV wasn’t tongue in cheek, because it’s all completely true. This is going to be the subject of a new show called Extraordinary Births. This sounds so safe. All of it.
Rosin and her husband, Maika Suneagle, operate a “healing retreat” in Hawaii where they focus on the healing power of nature. They sell a cd which features the dolphin song, and Rosin is really excited that this whole experience will bring her child into the world with the ability to speak dolphin. But if you’re reading all this thinking it sounds a tad weird, then worry no more, because Rosin explained her decision to have a dolphin midwife in her Song of Trust blog:
In 2011 and 2014 I had the privilege to learn from and with wild and free dolphins and Humpback whales in Hawaii who transformed and healed me in a very profound way. I felt deeply called to spend two times three months in nature – mostly by myself – and to deeply connect to this magical place of beauty and transformation inside and outside which called me home.
No English translation has been made available for that rant, but the gist of it all is that Rosin feels a connection with the ocean strong enough to trust this will go down without any hiccups. And there’s certainly something to be said for the power of faith and spirituality because everything about this story has at least one expert nominating this for the Worst Idea Ever Award. Christie Wilcox of Discover Magazine is flat out fearing the worst. “This has to be, hands down, one of the worst natural birthing ideas anyone has ever had (and that’s saying a lot),” she wrote. Wilcox and a few others have taken a pretty strong opposing stance, pointing out that while we love the adorable and mostly playful best surfers on the planet, there’s actually plenty to fear when a dolphin decides to get aggressive. She goes on to explain that male dolphins keep females “in line” with a list of threatening behaviors as well as beating and killing other infant animals from time to time. Every once in while that aggression is turned on people.
Of course, there’s no part of me that wants to see the worst case scenario come to life when Dorina Rosin delivers what’s hopefully going to be a healthy and happy baby. Bethany Hamilton took plenty of heat herself when she decided to surf Teahupo’o with one in the oven. But she also set a threshold for what she felt was safe. I just have to imagine my #WTF gut reaction to the entire idea is in line with what most people reading this are thinking as well.
Dorina Rosin in the delivery room.
