- Influencer Chrissy Horton shared footage documenting the birth of her fifth child in a viral TikTok.
- The three-minute video spanned the "first serious contractions" to the day after the baby was born.
An influencer who documented the process of giving birth to her fifth child went viral on TikTok, as she shared the details she said she wasn't aware of when she had her first baby.
On January 3, Chrissy Horton, a blogger, TikToker, and Instagrammer based in San Diego, California, posted a three-minute video to her TikTok account which she said in the caption she started recording as she began feeling her "first serious contractions." The video followed Horton's experience as she appeared to visit a hospital, give birth, and hold her newborn.
@hortonlane What it’s like to give birth! Come with me as I deliver my 5th baby. When I was pregnant with my first baby I had no idea what to expect when giving birth. I wish I had someone to walk me through how long labor could potentially be, the interventions that are used, and what my options were. So I decided to document and share my entire birthing experience from start to finish. I begin recording as my first serious contractions took place. I had been experiencing Braxton Hicks for several weeks at this point, but on this day the contractions were different. They were stronger and I could feel my whole uterus contracting, rather than just a localized area. They became stronger and I began breathing heavier. That’s when I knew the contractions needed to be timed. They say you know it’s time to leave for the hospital when your contractions are happening at least every 5 minutes, last for one minute each, and have been happening consistently for 1 hour. It’s called the 5-1-1 rule. I birth big babies, I am talking over 10 lbs, and never once was a c-section mentioned to me just because of their size. I have had an epidural for all my births so for baby number 5 I really wanted to try to have an unmedicated birth. Unfortunately I didn’t make it. I was close, but I knew I would lack the strength to push if I continued to suffer and fight the pain. I have actually enjoyed my epidural births! They allowed me to relax and be more present for the experience. Being able to relax is key too. Each time I tried to birth unmedicated labor wouldn’t progress. Please note, this is just my personal experience. Everyone is going to have a different birth story ❤️ #givingbirthbelike #birthstory #birthstorytime #pregnantmama #pregnancyvlog #momtobe2023 #hospitalbag #givingbirthisnojoke #postpartumrecovery #10lbsbaby #hospitalbirth #hospitalbagessentials #pregnantmama #41weekspregnant #epiduralbirth #naturalbirth #unmedicatedbirth ♬ original sound - Chrissy Horton
"When I was pregnant with my first baby I had no idea what to expect when giving birth. I wish I had someone to talk me through how long labor could potentially be, the interventions that are used, and what my options were," Horton wrote in the caption.
In the video, which received over 6.4 million views, Horton provided time stamps of each event in on-screen captions. According to the TikTok, Horton appeared to check into the hospital at 3:30 a.m., and asked for an epidural at 4:00 a.m.
In the caption of the video, Horton said she had "an epidural for all my births" and wanted this delivery to be unmedicated, however she said she "knew I would lack the strength to push if I continued to suffer and fight the pain."
As the delivery began, Horton said in the video voiceover, "Here's where it's gonna get real. I'm not gonna edit it, so if you can't handle the heat get out of the kitchen." The video proceeded to show Horton laying in a hospital bed crying as she's told to push.
The video then follows post-birth moments, showing her holding the baby to her chest, her partner cutting the umbilical cord, and medical staff weighing and measuring the baby.
The video received over 15,600 comments and an overwhelmingly positive response. One user wrote, "Thank you for sharing raw reality of birth. I'm currently pregnant with my first and I'm scared af," in a comment that received over 52,300 likes.
"The realest video I've seen yet lol. I love this page," a comment with over 1,600 likes said.
Horton has over 552,000 followers on her TikTok account where she describes herself in her bio as "Your big sis through pregnancy, postpartum & motherhood." Her regular uploads include pregnancy checklists, day-in-the-life of a mom videos, and tips for new moms. She also has a blog where she shares tips on motherhood and general lifestyle, and a following of 142,000 on Instagram.
For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.