A mother has described her unusual birth experience as "traumatizing" after she gave birth in her sleep without waking. Carolina Moreno, 27, a Canada-based mother of three, went viral on TikTok after recounting how she delivered her youngest child, now three months old, while unconscious.
Details of the birth
Moreno explained that she tested positive for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) bacteria when she went in for induction, requiring antibiotics before breaking her water. Unlike her previous labors, which lasted much longer, she was already 3 cm dilated with a thin cervix, so doctors began antibiotics immediately.
A few hours later, nurses broke Moreno's water and administered Pitocin to stimulate labor. She felt "really uncomfortable" because her baby was in a poor position, so she requested an epidural. After an hour, the epidural had not taken effect. She pressed the button for extra doses three times before finally feeling comfortable and drifting off to sleep, with her husband, sister, and cousin in the room.
Panic when heartbeat cannot be found
While Moreno slept, nurses checked the baby’s heartbeat. The alarm on the monitor went off when the heartbeat could not be detected. According to Moreno, "This had happened several times; my baby was very active and he liked to move." She initially thought the nurse was just adjusting the monitor, but as minutes passed, she grew worried. "I started to get worried because obviously she’s not finding him... that’s when I really woke up."
Once awake, panic set in. Moreno asked if she should lie on her back, and the nurse agreed. When she turned over, the nurse felt her stomach and said it felt "really weird." Moreno recalled, "In that moment, I don’t know why I just thought, my baby’s dead."
Baby found under blankets
When Moreno tried to adjust her legs, she felt something on the bed. She thought it might be her placenta or uterus, but the nurse lifted the blanket and found her son face-down under all the blankets. "He’s face down. He’s not crying. And I just panic. I freak out," she said. "Obviously, you see a baby, and he’s not crying, and he’s probably been there for several minutes under blankets, under you. That’s everything a newborn shouldn’t be. So I was really scared. I didn’t think he was alive."
The nurse quickly picked up the baby and rubbed him. Moreno screamed at her husband, who thought he had missed the birth. Even after the baby cried, Moreno could not process that he was okay and felt "really traumatized."
Baby delivered himself
Reflecting on the delivery, Moreno told PEOPLE, "It was a huge shock to find him [under the blankets]... turns out he was sleeping, and he’s just a very chill baby, still to this day you just lay him down, and he falls asleep, he’s just not a crier." She added, "The nurse didn’t deliver him; he delivered himself. We had no idea he was even out, which is actually what made it so scary at first, since they couldn’t find his heartbeat, since he wasn’t in me anymore. We just thought something horrible had happened."
Now that her son is three months old, Moreno feels "very lucky" and says her baby boy is "absolutely amazing and was born in perfect health." She added, "He’s also our easiest baby and the adjustment has been seamless. It was incredibly scary finding him on his stomach under the blankets, not crying, but now that we know his personality, it really makes sense, he’s just the most calm baby."
