Labor Stories You Won't Believe Are Real
We've all seen labor a million times in movies. It usually involves some screaming, the husband doing something laughable — and maybe more than a few swear words — but after a couple of tense moments, the baby pops out and everyone is pleased as punch.
But the reality of labor isn't so simple. Sure, you've probably heard of a lady giving birth in a car, but what happens when having a car birth is the least of your worries? It turns out, there are crazier places and situations where you can give birth. Here are some labor stories you won't believe are real.
Grandmother births her own grandson
Though this sounds like the beginning of a "You might be a redneck" joke, it's a real story that's actually pretty sweet. Sara Connell spoke to Good Morning America about her struggle to start a family. After losing twins late in the pregnancy and having another miscarriage, Connell considered using a surrogate. So, out of motherly love, Kristine Casey volunteered. The sperm and egg were from Connell and her husband, but Casey's womb was home to the child for nine months. At 61, Casey gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
A mother being a surrogate for a daughter isn't completely uncommon. Even if the surrogate has gone through menopause, with hormone treatments and use of someone else's egg she could get pregnant regardless of age. Of course, the older you are, the greater the chance of complications, but for Connell and Casey, it worked out perfectly. Casey will surely feel an extra close bond with her new grandchild.
Woman runs a marathon, celebrates by giving birth
It's great to stay active when you're pregnant, but you probably don't need to stay active while you're actually giving birth. Amber Miller reportedly signed up to run a Chicago marathon before she got pregnant. Once she got the good news, Miller figured she might as well show up for the marathon, but she and her husband assumed they would quit before they finished all 26.2 miles. On the day of the marathon, the Millers got into the zone. They ran the first half, walked the second, and then contractions started, according to ABC News.
Instead of immediately getting a cab and hurrying to the hospital, Miller had a different plan. She told reporters, who were waiting at her hospital for the story, that she finished the race in six hours and 25 minutes, ate a light lunch, then went to the hospital. By 10:29 PM, baby June was born, perfectly healthy and happy. Miller didn't think the nearly six and a half hour, nine months pregnant marathon was easy, but it wasn't much of a new experience. That was the third marathon she'd run while pregnant! Miller might just inspire all of us to try to be at least as in shape as a nine months pregnant woman.
Pregnant woman is shot and set on fire, but lives to birth her son
This is a horrifying tale that proves how strong mothers can be. Latonya Bowman was three weeks from her due date when she and Jamal Rogers, the father of the child, drove home after a movie. Angela Beatty, Bowman's mother, recounted the story to ABC News Detroit. Bowman didn't know that Antonio Mathis was waiting in the garage and Mathis grabbed her when she got out of the car. She was thrown to the ground after which Mathis duct taped her hands and feet and drove to a secluded alleyway. There, Matthis covered Bowman in gasoline, lit her on fire, and shot her in the back. Bowman reportedly played dead until Mathis ran, then freed herself from the duct tape and drove herself to the hospital!
Bowman was treated for her burns and gunshot wound and three days later, had an emergency C-section. Luckily, the baby was completely fine and the mother recovered from her injuries. When you've got a mom who survives guns and fire to keep you alive, you better clean your room when she tells you to! Seriously, Bowman is a true hero.
The police discovered that Rogers and Mathis planned the attempted murder because Rogers didn't want another child. Thankfully, both men were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
Pregnant woman is dragged out of a cab and gives birth prematurely
People go out of their way to help pregnant ladies, right? Not always. Leslie Cooper shared her story of harassment with the Village Voice. At nearly nine months pregnant, she was waiting in the freezing cold to get a cab home from work. After a ten minute wait, she finally hailed a cab and told the driver she was going to Brooklyn. The driver, however, didn't seem too keen on driving from Manhattan to Brooklyn. He reportedly first said his credit card machine was broken, but soon completely refused to take her. Cooper told the Village Voice that she asked if she could sit inside the car until another cab came by because it's not great for super pregnant women to be out in the freezing cold.
At this point, the driver got angry and allegedly dragged Cooper out of the car. She told the Village Voice, "He grabbed me by the jacket and literally body-slammed me to the sidewalk." Cooper called the cops, but since she didn't suffer any visible physical damage, she couldn't charge the driver with assault. That night, she was checked out at the hospital and released, seemingly fine. Still, Cooper didn't feel right and just a few days later, she went into labor five weeks early! It was surely a terribly traumatic experience, but the driver had his license revoked and Cooper's child is now fine despite the premature birth.
Woman gives birth to her first child at 72 years old
While some people have kids when they're still very young, that isn't always the case. Daljinder Kaur and her husband had been trying for years to conceive a child with no luck. Finally, after three tries at IVF, Kaur became pregnant and had a little baby boy. It's a lovely story, but doesn't seem too unusual, except for the fact that Kaur was 72 years old!
Kaur's age is just an estimate because she was born without a birth certificate, which is fairly common in India where the Kaurs reside. Anurag Bishnoi, owner of the fertility center in Hisar, told The Guardian that Kaur is five to seven years younger than her husband who had documents to prove he was born in 1937. The couple said they had always wanted children, but could only afford fertility treatments recently. With use of donor eggs and hormone treatments, Kaur could finally have the child she always wanted.
A woman and her wife give birth within four days of each other
Emily Kehe and Kate Elazegui were newlyweds who wanted to have a child, so they started the process right away. Since they were both over 35, doctors warned that the fertility treatment might take a while and was slightly less likely to be successful. Elazegui told The Cut that she went first, dealing with blood tests, hormones, and artificial inseminations. It was hard and after six months, she still wasn't pregnant. Though they were originally going to wait for Kehe to start trying, they thought it would be equally hard for her to get pregnant, so they began her treatment while Elazegui was starting IVF.
Out of the blue, Kehe got pregnant immediately! Elazegui was happy to hear the good news, but a little sad she was still having so much trouble. Elazegui was in the middle of an IVF cycle, and the couple decided to keep going, just in case Kehe's pregnancy had complications. Low and behold, three weeks later, Elazegui was pregnant, too! After going through all the pains of pregnancy together, they both gave birth to healthy baby boys only four days apart. Now, they treat the little ones like twins and have a supremely adorable family.
An Uber driver refuses a woman in labor, but charges her anyway
In another taxi tale gone wrong, David Lee, his wife, and her birthing coach needed to get to the hospital from their Manhattan apartment. Instead of hoping they could hail a cab, they got an Uber, which arrived with no trouble. When the driver saw the pregnant woman throw up on the sidewalk, however, he wanted to cancel the ride. According to Lee in an interview with Fortune, the driver kept saying that he'd lose over $1000 a day if she got sick in the car and that no driver would pick up a pregnant woman. Lee and the birthing coach explained that his wife was ill because of labor and wouldn't vomit again. The driver still reportedly wouldn't let her in the car. Lee pleaded, said they would happily pay any cleaning fees or damages if she got sick, but that they need to get to the hospital now!
The driver had no pity on the woman in labor and drove away. To add insult to injury, he charged them $13 for his time. Luckily, the couple got another Uber and that driver was more than happy to assist a woman in need and Lee's wife had the baby safely in the hospital a few hours later. Uber refunded the $13 and eventually admitted that "Denying service to a passenger in labor is unacceptable." Though Uber said they've "taken action" against the driver in question, the exact consequences are unknown.
Stuck in a tree during a flood, woman goes into labor
Nobody likes going to the hospital and labor is a real pain, but every single person loses their right to complain after hearing Sofia Pedro's insane story as told to The Guardian. As the flood waters of Mozambique rushed around her, Pedro climbed high in a tree to save herself from drowning. If the situation weren't terrifying enough, she was going into labor.
Rescue helicopters were surveying the area for survivors, when they saw the pained and exhausted Pedro desperately clinging to a branch. A medic was lowered onto the tree to aid the birth and cut the umbilical cord, then mother and child were lifted to safety in the helicopter. Though it was a crazy experience, Pedro and the child survived while many others died in the flood. When reporters asked about her story she replied "I'm so happy."
Woman stays in labor for 75 days to save her twins
Labor usually takes a lot longer than you think and it's fairly common for women to be in labor for 14 hours. But 75 days? That's how long Joanna Krzysztonek had to stay in labor to have her healthy twins. Pregnant with triplets, Krzysztonek went into labor only five months into her pregnancy. The first child was born prematurely and died shortly after delivery. Doctors thought they had a chance to save the other two children, but it would mean a long hospital stay.
According to Reuters, Krzysztonek was instructed to lay perfectly still in a nearly upside down position to keep her from giving birth to the other babies prematurely. They were able to subdue her contractions, though technically she was in labor for all 75 days. The doctors put off birth long enough for the babies to develop and though they were born early, both children survived. In the end, the babies were healthy and though she had some trouble balancing upright after a month and a half of her bat-like pose, Krzysztonek's now walking fine with her two lovely children.
Woman accidentally gives birth in train toilet, baby falls onto tracks and lives
Having a baby on a train or in a bathroom is not ideal, but having a baby in a train bathroom is even worse. Crazy enough, there's still an even more terrible option. Bhuri Kalbi was riding a train in India when she suddenly went into labor. According to Reuters, she was two months early and ran to the bathroom to use the facilities, never expecting to actually give birth, but the baby was eager to come out and she gave birth on the toilet then promptly passed out.
A toilet birth is never a mother's dream, but in India it's a true nightmare. Their train bathrooms are pretty much holes where the waste flows out directly onto the ground. So, after Kalbi woke up, she realized her infant had fallen out of the toilet and onto the tracks. The train made an emergency stop and alerted the nearest station to look for a tiny baby on the train tracks. By some kind of miracle, the baby was perfectly fine! He was rushed to the hospital, but suffered no damage from the fall. Thank goodness everyone was okay and at least the family will have the most interesting birth story in the neighborhood.
Unreal but still okay
With these ten unbelievable birth stories, it might sound like having a baby only occurs at the very worst of times. Though all these stories involved some really scary situations and were certainly less than ideal, in the end, things turned out fine! So, if you're nervous about your upcoming birth, take solace in the fact that you can give birth on a train or in a tree and still have a wonderful child to call your own at the end of it.