We always hear that we should trust our bodies, right? And when it comes to pregnancy and having a baby, that is particularly true. A mom in California trusted her body and headed to the hospital because she was having contractions. But the hospital reportedly felt like she wasn't ready and sent her home. That is when the fun began.
Shayanna Markham, 27, and her husband, Anthony Markham, were sure it was time to go and headed to Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center on June 4. This wasn't her first baby, and even though she was 5 centimeters dilated at the hospital and having contractions, they did not admit her. Instead, Shayanna and Anthony headed home. Thirty minutes later, she was holding her newborn daughter, Harper.
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When a baby is ready to come, it's coming.
Shayanna told Today that she was 37 weeks pregnant when she woke up having contractions on June 4. She and her husband dropped off their 3-year-old daughter, Mariska, with family and headed to the hospital. When they arrived, Shayanna claimed a nurse checked her and confirmed she was 5 centimeters dilated.
"The doctor assured me that if we left, there would still be time to get an epidural," she told Today. "She took off the monitors and said I could get dressed. I felt pressured [to leave]."
The couple begrudgingly went home.
Shayanna went home and, about 15 minutes later, started to have a lot of pain. She told Today she wanted to return to the hospital but decided to use the bathroom first. After she was finished, she stood up, reached below, and could feel Harper's head. She had no choice but to deliver her baby girl at home.
"There was no stopping her from coming out," Shayanna explained to Today. "I got really quiet — there was no screaming. I pushed and then caught my daughter."
Her husband came into the bathroom and got quite a surprise.
Anthony was on the phone with 911 when he saw Shayanna holding baby Harper in her arms. Paramedics came and took the family back to the hospital. Shayanna told Today one EMS worker in particular, Will Parker, was exceptionally kind to her. "He's really sweet," she said.
Will beamed with pride that he could participate in such a special day.
"I got to swaddle Harper — I hadn't done that since my own kids were babies," he told Today. "It was a dose of dopamine for me to hold a newborn."
The hospital released a statement regarding the Markham family's experience.
In an email to Today, a Kaiser spokesperson said that sometimes babies are born quickly and without warning.
"Our first priority is always the safety of our patients. While we can't speak to this specific event due to patient privacy, deliveries do happen unexpectedly on occasion. We recognize the families and thank the first responders who are able to manage these situations," the email reads.
The spokesperson alluded to the fact that Shayanna could have stayed.
"We take our patients' concerns seriously and when we learn of concerns, we follow up to apologize, listen and respond. Our physicians or certified midwives screen patients when they arrive based on multiple medical criteria and, on a case-by-case basis, determine if a laboring woman is ready to begin her stay with us. If a patient is reluctant to return home, we offer them to stay and be re-evaluated in a specific time frame. We do encourage laboring moms to walk as a standard practice to help labor along, unless prohibited by a medical condition," it continued.
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Shayanna's sister shared a home surveillance video of the couple returning home.
Harper's proud aunt, Surena, shared a TikTok of a pregnant Shayanna and Anthony returning from the hospital. It isn't hard to see that the mom-to-be looks pretty miserable at 2:47 p.m.
"When your sister is 5 centimeters dilated and they send her home and she has the baby at home 30 minutes later," a caption on the video reads.
The video has 14 million views, and commenters were stunned.
"The hospital would be paying for everything, including the ambulance ride," a commenter wrote.
"Why do hospitals do this it's so dangerous & now you have an ambulance bill on top of everything," someone agreed.
One fellow mom felt her pain: "They sent me home at 5cm as well with my third, ended up having her in my driveway! Hospitals should keep you at 5!!"
The video concludes with Shayanna on a gurney returning to the hospital after delivering Harper. It is time-stamped at 3:24 p.m. Yep, that's 37 minutes later. Wow. Just wow! Once again, we see that moms are warriors and some of the world's toughest people. Shayanna, you are a rock star, and we salute you.
