By Kayla Cohen ’17

Social Studies teacher Josh Kinnetz helped deliver his son, Bodhi, during the blizzard on January 23. Kinnetz and his wife, Jenny Krueger, decided that they wanted to have their baby born at home, but when the baby was ready to be delivered, Kinnetz and Krueger were nervous that the midwives would have difficulties arriving at their home due to the storm.

The amazing story caught the attention of The Washington Post, which published an article about the birth. The article recounted how as the weather intensified, Kinnetz and his wife grew more anxious by the hour, and around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Krueger’s water broke and contractions began. She timed them out and soon realized that the minutes between each one were rapidly decreasing.

By this time, the midwives tried to reach the Kinnetz home by a neighbor’s 4-wheel drive, but the vehicle could not make it through the raging storm, and they had to turn around. Kinnetz would not receive the help of the midwives, and he and his wife would deliver their baby on their own.

With the midwives on the phone, Kinnetz steadily performed the tasks asked of him to produce a smooth delivery. “I was actually calm during the birth,” said Kinnetz. He also mentioned how he loved the intimate aspect of it being just him, his wife, and daughter in their own home rather than the hospital. Soon before midnight, Krueger gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Kinnetz asserts that his wife was really the one who delivered the baby, and he was just there as a support system for her.

After the birth of their son, paramedics did show up to their house after hiking there in the snow. They checked the vital signs of the newborn and of Krueger, just to make sure everything was normal, which it was.

The story trended on social media, and Kinnetz was inundated with texts and emails all congratulating him on a successful delivery. Everyone who contacted Kinnetz was in shock, awe and very supportive. “It was kind of fun, like we were celebrities for the day,” said Kinnetz. As a result of the trending article, Kinnetz was able to reconnect with past students through Facebook who reached out to him after hearing of the exciting news.

Overall, Kinnetz has no regrets. Being at home made for a more comfortable birthing experience which he and his family will never forget.