This man just broadcast his wife giving birth live on Facebook
LatestOn Saturday evening, the mother of Fakamalo Kihe Eiki’s unborn child informed him that her water had definitely broken. As the couple headed to the hospital, Eiki did what any modern father with a smartphone and an internet connection would do: he began livestreaming the whole ordeal to Facebook.
After hours of patiently waiting by the mother-to-be’s side, the time finally came.
“Let’s try pushing baby out,” Eiki posted as he began recording.
According to Eiki, he was in something of a rush to meet his new baby given that he was due in court later on in the day.
“He better not come out while I’m in court,” Eiki joked with the doctors in the room. “I could have delivered the baby at home, I’m telling you”
45 minutes later, after quite a bit of pushing and a few tears, a baby boy was born (with a full head of hair to boot.)
It’s unclear whether Eiki’s son’s was the first to ever birth to be broadcast via Facebook, but given how new the platform’s Facebook Live broadcasting capabilities are, it’s very likely. Given that services like Snapchat, Periscope, and Twitch are shaping the way that people share their lives over the internet, a live-streamed birth almost seemed inevitable. Eventually, someone was going to do this.
Still, though, that didn’t stop some people from being shocked. CNN’s John Ketchum came across the broadcast as it was happening and was taken aback.
Bruh… Somebody is FB living a birth!
— Fat Idris (@Ketchcast) May 16, 2016
@katchow This getting out of hand bruh.
— Fat Idris (@Ketchcast) May 16, 2016
Others were similarly taken aback:
https://twitter.com/BenjaminZandBBC/status/732236792292872192
Those close to Eiki felt somewhat differently. The comments on the video itself, from Eiki’s friends and family, were overwhelmingly positive, encouraging the baby’s mother to stay strong and push.
The newborn appears to be doing fine and the only thing the parents can’t quite figure out is where his hairy back came from.