‘Nothing short of amazing’: Baby born at home as blizzard raged to celebrate 1st birthday

But Devynn Briell Thomas is about to celebrate what might be the most memorable of all birthdays.

One year ago today in the middle of the raging blizzard that paralyzed the region, with no way to get to a hospital, no ambulance coming and no epidural, Devynn’s snowbound parents relied on the coaching of two doulas they met over Facebook to welcome her into the world the old-fashioned way.

As the one-year mark of the Blizzard of 2022 approached, Erica and Davon Thomas reflected on the extraordinary experience of delivering their first baby at home by themselves in the middle of one of the worst disasters to ever hit Buffalo.

“Mother Nature is undefeated,” Davon Thomas said. “You can never be too prepared, you know? Because when it comes down, it comes down, especially here in Western New York.”

The Thomases thought they were prepared for the birth of their first baby.

The due date was Christmas Day and they knew a bad winter storm was on its way, so they made sure they had plenty of food and water.

The plan was to stay at home and try to be as relaxed as possible until the labor was well underway and then head to the hospital.

The Thomases were well aware of the possibilities of getting stuck in the snow. During the massive lake-effect snowstorm of 2014, Davon Thomas spent six hours on the Thruway near the William Street exit with his sister-in-law in an old car that had no heat. “My butt was frozen,” he recalled.

On Dec. 23, both Erica and Davon were safe and warm at their home in the University District. Davon was off and Erica had arranged to work from home that week before going on maternity leave.

That afternoon, as the blizzard began burying Buffalo, Erica started cramping and feeling a lot of pain, so she told her co-workers she was signing off early.