Learning to deliver a baby, on YouTube

When Marc Stephen's wife went into labor suddenly, he simply googled "how to deliver a baby" and found instructional videos on YouTube. He then helped deliver their fourth child, safe and sound. Of delivering a baby for the first time, without doctors, nurses or midwives, he said: "The videos gave me peace of mind. I think I would have coped, but watching videos made things much easier."

The whole episode is a rather stunning example of the incredible ability of humans to cope with emergencies. Admittedly, humans have been giving birth long before modern hospitals or drugs existed, but even so, I'm impressed at the confidence of a man delivering a baby for the first time after watching a few online videos. I'm also impressed at the trust of his wife.

Frequently, it takes a crisis and a complete lack of alternatives to force people into revealing the human ability to solve complex problems (and solve them with confidence and trust). I doubt that crises themselves make people more capable or confident; the capacity to solve complex problems and manage stressful situations is is a human trait. All too often, however, being capable and confident is a last resort, after all other options are closed.

Read the BBC article, YouTube helps man deliver baby