Childbirth is one of the most terrifying and exhilarating experiences any mother can go through.
For some of us, it’s something that we’d rather not discuss with our children.
But for one mother, gifting her four-year-old son an unusual present had the internet divided.
Dr Danielle Belardo is a US based MD with a huge subscriber base on social media. Her latest YouTube video shows her helping her little man deliver a “baby” via caesarean birth by using just play dough.
Under the video post, she writes: “Our little guy just had a birthday (the big 4!), and we reminisced about the eventful, unexpected day he arrived and the flurry of amazing people involved with getting him here safely.”
Looking frightfully real, Dr Belardo talks her son through the surgery, using everything from forceps to surgical scissors.
The 5 minute video goes into intricate detail of the delivery, even showing the baby wrapped in the placenta.
Belardo explained the reasoning behind making the video. “Superheroes are a common topic in our home these days. We talked about how being a superhero isn’t just about having super powers or abilities - heroes are made by using whatever power they have to help others, often at expense of much sacrifice and risk to themselves,” she wrote.
“To the OB/GYNs and FM/OBs who use their superpowers for their mamas and miracle babies (alongside a team of midwives, L&D staff!) - you are all heroes.”
For some folks the video provided some peak entertainment while for others it triggered memories of difficult births.
“I find this disturbing. Cesarean birth is still birth. This exercise ignores sacred element - as if it’s any other surgery. Makes a good case for avoiding surgical birth and knife-happy OB though. C-section is drastically overused and US has maternal mortality rates to prove it,” commented a Twitter user.
Another said: “She said this is for the child's birthday, I presume it was to explain how he was born. I can't speak for the US but generally c-sections save lives not end them.”