Ferguson Woman Gives Birth On Toilet Bowl

A mother's trip to the bathroom turned out to be more urgent than anticipated

ByABC News
June 1, 2012, 11:53 AM

June 1, 2012— -- Dinesheia Jones of Ferguson, Mo., was in for a shock when a trip to the bathroom turned quickly to something more serious.

Dawana Jones said she received a call Thursday morning from her pregnant sister Dinesheia to let her know her water broke when she was on the toilet.

Five minutes later, she called her back to let her know she had given birth to a baby girl, Dawana Jones said.

Jones said her sister was experiencing labor pains throughout the night. During the phone call, she says her sister sounded calm.

"She said the ambulance was on the way and I said they'd be there shortly," said Jones. "She was crammed in the little bitty bathroom with the police officer, the paramedic, and the baby."

Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson said the officer dispatched to Ms. Jones' home was fairly new on the job, but was pleased with his officer's response to the situation.

"When he walked in he heard the mother scream from the bathroom and the 8-year-old was also there with her and she had just given birth," said Jackson. "He reached in the toilet and pulled the baby out."

Jackson said the officer found the baby breathing normally.

Jones said she thinks her sister had given birth pre-term. This was Dinesheia Jones' fifth child.

While strange birth stories have become ubiquitous thanks to shows like "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant," toilet births raise a red flag, says Dr. Linda Burke-Galloway, board-certified OBGYN and author of "The Smart Mother's Guide to a Better Pregnancy."

"Maybe the patient has a history of premature labor that hasn't been addressed. Maybe she hasn't received adequate prenatal care," said Dr. Burke-Galloway. "But something is awry."

Galloway says toilet births raise health concerns, including prematurity, lung capacity of the newborn, and breech delivery.

"The other thing you have to think about is the placement of the cord. If the cord is wrapped around the baby's neck and the mom pushes and the baby plops out, the cord could tighten around the baby's neck and cause asphyxia."

Jones says this unusual birth circumstance was not an isolated incident for her family. Her mother previously had given birth to her younger brother on the toilet as well.

Jones says mother and child are doing well.