‘So here my ass is in my hotel room all by my lonesome learning how to deliver my own baby’
A woman who doubted she was pregnant was forced to use YouTube videos to learn “how to deliver my own baby” after she went into labour alone in a Turkish hotel room.
Tia Freeman was travelling from the US to Germany to go on holiday when she started suffering contractions as she landed in Istanbul for a stopover in March.
The 22-year-old, who was in “denial”, having only been told about her pregnancy six months into her term, assumed she had food poisoning from a meal she had eaten on the plane. It was only when she was going through customs that she realised she was going into labour.
Ms Freeman, a computer specialist in the US Air Force, revealed her amazing story in a Twitter thread, which has since been shared thousands of times.
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonI’m literally gripping the railing trying to make it through the lines. At this point I feel like I’m about to pass out. I’m sweating. I feel like I have to vomit. I’m going through it. Then I’m like wait a minute bitch are you in labor?!!! pic.twitter.com/p6SMEfunP0
Determined not to give birth in an airport, Ms Freeman made it to her hotel room and began searching on YouTube for the best way to deliver her baby.
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSo in true millennial form I decided to @Youtube it
. If no one else had my back the internet would! So here my ass is in my hotel room all by my lonesome learning how to deliver my own baby pic.twitter.com/v13ZhF6O8h
Filling a bath with warm water and grabbing two towels – one to bite onto, and one to wrap the baby in – she began pushing once her contractions started happening every minute.
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonMy contractions were already at a minute a part lol I was late as hell. I BARELY made it to my room.
After five or six pushes, a baby “popped out” and “floated right on up to the top of the water”.
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonLuckily it happened pretty quickly. I only had to push about 5-6x before a baby popped out. Lol now let me tell you babies are buoyant. That little joker said bloop and floated right on up to the top of the water
After checking the sex of her newly-born baby, she was forced to search on Google as to how to cut an umbilical cord without any tools beyond a knife.
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSo I didn’t have any clamps like it suggested but what I did have were shoelaces lol. Hear me out
Using sterilised shoelaces as clamps, she managed to cut the cord before exhaustion began to set in. After cleaning up the bathroom, “which looked like the set of a horror movie”, she breastfed her newborn son and went to sleep.
Waking up the next day, she headed to the airport to find out how she would leave the country with a newborn baby.
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonWhen I get there the airport workers are freaking out bc you can tell this baby is fresh. I legit didn’t have any baby clothes & made him something out of my favorite blue oversized button down (RIP
). Anyway they thought I was a human trafficker trying to smuggle out a baby. pic.twitter.com/dc0BCDv75J
After convincing local police and Turkish Airlines staff of her story, local media organisations were tipped off and she became headline news in the country.
Ms Freeman was eventually taken to the US Consulate in Istanbul, where she applied for a birth certificate and passport for her son, whom she named Xavier Ata Freeman.
After being taken to hospital – almost 24 hours since giving birth – she was given the all clear and spent another two weeks in Istanbul, fully paid for by Turkish Airlines.
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonAfter everything they say they’re going to take me to the hospital. It’s been almost 24hrs since I’ve given birth. But before I can go my consulate contact comes back & tells me I have to go out the back & get escorted by this special agent bc the press were too heavy out front. pic.twitter.com/WE8YBFSVRa
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonTo wrap up I go to the hospital get checked out everything is fine. He’s perfectly healthy! Lol the doctors were shocked to hear my story. I made national news & people would stop us to take pictures all the time & a random elderly woman grabbed my boob as I was breastfeeding pic.twitter.com/gGp4lJvEvl
Ms Freeman finally flew back to Nashville, her hometown, at the end of March.
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonHere he is Xavier Ata Freeman born March 7, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey! My little surprise bundle of international joy!
(His middle name is Turkish)
Speaking to The Independent, Ms Freeman said her family were left “absolutely stunned”.
“No one had a clue,” she said. “But they were all extremely excited. It’s my parents’ first grandchild and he makes the fifth living generation on my mum’s side.
“As soon as I flew back they all came to visit, bearing gifts and spoiling Xavier. They found out about four days after I gave birth to him while I was still in Istanbul. So of course they called every single day, wanting to talk to him and see pictures and videos and checking in to make sure we were okay.”
Looking back on the birth now, Ms Freeman says despite the risks, she “probably wouldn’t change a thing”.
“The experience taught me so much. I learned how to be resourceful and calm under pressure. I was able to bond one on one with my son from his first breaths,” she said.
“I’m thankful that everything went well and I was able to deliver a healthy baby,” she added. “I know everyone isn’t always so fortunate but I appreciate the experience and hopefully he’ll think it’s an amazing story when he’s older!”
And why she did not go to a hospital? “Not many people spoke English that I encountered at first,” she said. “And I didn’t know what the country’s emergency number was and I didn’t know how my insurance would work overseas so I just decided to DIY it.”
Though Ms Freeman’s birth was a success, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) “strongly discourages” women from giving birth alone.
“Whilst the RCM recognises that every woman has the right to give birth without professional assistance, there are potential risks for both mother and baby and for that reason the RCM would strongly discourage women from giving birth by themselves and without professional support or skilled medical help,” an RCM spokesperson told The Independent.
“The RCM also believes that the more we develop maternity services which enable women and midwives to get to know each other and for women to trust their midwife the less likely women are to choose to give birth without a midwife present.”
On the huge reaction on social media, Ms Freeman said: “I expected my friends to go crazy reading it but I didn’t expect it to get as big as it did. Though I probably should have, seeing as though everyone who knows the story loses their minds.
“I think all the tweets broke my Twitter.”
Read Ms Freeman’s amazing story in full below.
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonI still really don’t understand what’s so shocking about my delivery story. Lol maybe it’ll set in one day.
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonMight as well tell you now lol. Give me a little time though because it’s sort of a long story
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonI didn’t know I was pregnant for awhile (already in my 3rd trimester) and before you ask the birth control I was on made it so I didn’t have a cycle every month. So not having a period wasn’t an indicator for me. On top of that I didnt really gain any weight.
Me when I found: pic.twitter.com/An5QA3hX8A
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSo then I’m in denial for another month after that like there’s no way a Bitch is preggo. At this point I’m working in VA and away from everyone so I just decided not to tell anyone. My dumbass was like maybe it’ll just go away… pic.twitter.com/TtSMTqc7Ln
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSo I had already purchased tickets for a vacay in Germany and ya girl was not about to waste international flight money. So I was like if the boy comes on time I should be all good in the hood. So I came home for two seconds before hopping on the my flight to Germany. pic.twitter.com/SWYOpatnEN
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSo everything is going well no biggie but dawg this is a 14hr flight & there was a complimentary meal but everything had meat in it & you know I’m a vegetarian so I was like I can’t eat this but 14 hrs was too long to wait so I decided to eat the salmon hoping I wouldn’t get sick pic.twitter.com/9CfF4XzYzT
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonNo I don’t know if it was he salmon, the flight, or it was just my time but out of no where I start cramping up. I’ve still got like an hour left before we land. I just knew I had food poisoning. Y’all I was HURT pic.twitter.com/WBgWcG0NkU
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonI’m like oooooh shit where are these cramps coming from? You know what I’ll just go to sleep. Sleep cures everything right pic.twitter.com/z9QcUxdMtD
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSo anyway I make it until we land but when I wake up the cramps have gotten worse and I’m like okay I just want to make it to my hotel. Its my layover and I’m only here (Istanbul, Turkey) for 17hrs. But getting through customs took FOREVVVVVVVERRRRR pic.twitter.com/VUFDhyrCR1
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonI’m literally gripping the railing trying to make it through the lines. At this point I feel like I’m about to pass out. I’m sweating. I feel like I have to vomit. I’m going through it. Then I’m like wait a minute bitch are you in labor?!!! pic.twitter.com/p6SMEfunP0
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSo my ass decides to google it. The internet was like well my good sis the only thing different between labor and Braxton Hicks is your water breaking. This was completely not helpful so now I gotta wait until then to knownif this is legit or not. pic.twitter.com/fzXPGcDtV0
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonEither way it goes I’m not giving birth in this airport so I start gassing myself up bc I am NOT having a baby in this airport. I start talking to myself like Bitch what you’re not gonna do is give birth on the airport floor. So you need to get it together & make it to your hotel pic.twitter.com/Ywjk9fmsaD
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonI make it to my hotel & now I’m sure I’m in labor. There is no way in the world I’m not in labor because I can barely standup at this point. So I’m in a foreign country, where no one speaks english, I don’t know this country’s emergency number, & I have no clue what to do. pic.twitter.com/sk6k10zdu5
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSo in true millennial form I decided to @Youtube it
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSo yo it’s GAME TIME. I don’t have time to be nervous. It’s time to get shit done. I spring into action. Filling up the tub with warm water #WaterBirth, grabbing a towel to bite down on, grabbing another towel to wrap him/her up with whenever it pops out pic.twitter.com/PVu2SWLCiG
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonIt’s weird how focused a person becomes when they’re adrenaline starts going. Because at no point ever did I freak out. Like I just did what I had to do.
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSo anyway. I strip down and climb in the tub. The internet said there were a couple positions that people find the most comfortable. I picked the one that worked for me and I was like okay BOOM let’s birthed this baby. pic.twitter.com/I6BabFMcCD
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSo the internet said I shouldn’t start pushing until my contractions where 2mins apart. Bc you don’t want to exhaust yourself too early and then not have any energy when the kids ready to come, you know? And I’m like okay bitch you’ve got a timer on your phone. You can do this! pic.twitter.com/QSi7iJ4vAx
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonMy contractions were already at a minute a part lol I was late as hell. I BARELY made it to my room.
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonLuckily it happened pretty quickly. I only had to push about 5-6x before a baby popped out. Lol now let me tell you babies are buoyant. That little joker said bloop and floated right on up to the top of the water
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonAt this point I have no clue what the sex of the baby is so after catching my breath I lift it up like “What is it?” pic.twitter.com/dMUwCDO58X
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonAlso Side Note: #WaterBirths are not as pretty as what you see on @YouTube there was no tranquil, hippie music playing gently in the back ground, or amazing natural lighting. It gets MESSY. pic.twitter.com/Igv5g6i7C4
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonAnyways ITS A BOYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!! And the very first thing I do is pull up his natal chart
pic.twitter.com/UPrhMBzLSu
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonLol the story isn’t over yet
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonWarning Viewer Discretion is Advised
So I’m sitting with Young Xay laying on my chest waiting for the placenta to pass. The internet told me to rub my lower abdomen to persuade my placenta to come on out. So her I am baby in one arm rubbing my pelvis with the other hand lol
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonCan I just say that walking around with the umbilical cord hanging out of me totally gave me the impression of what it would be like to have a penis.
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSo finally it feels like I’m having another contraction and I assume this is the placenta ready to drop it like it’s hot. So I shuffle to the bathroom and sit down on the toilet because idk where else to go
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonAlmost immediately as I sit down it plops out. The hotel had these sanitation baggies in the bathroom so I just picked it up by the cord and dropped it in the bag. Now it’s still attached to him so now I’ve got to google how to cut an umbilical cord. pic.twitter.com/urJHrIu9mN
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSo I didn’t have any clamps like it suggested but what I did have were shoelaces lol. Hear me out
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonAnd everyone knows that ya girl stays strapped
. I don’t go anyyyyyyyywhere without my knives. And because of this I’ll probably never go anywhere without them again. pic.twitter.com/vAbCZ6bb1K
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonOkay so it’s been a second so I may be a little iffy on the exact details but it went something like this. You’re supposed to measure off like 2inches from the stomach and tie one lace and then tie the other inch another inch from there. Now you cut the cord in between. pic.twitter.com/t3EzOHmro2
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonNow I haven’t been nervous this whole time but cuttingbthis cord is freaking me out lmao like what if I hurt this man?! So I’m poking the cord with the knife to see if it affects him. pic.twitter.com/mkmQfKP7S2
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonFortunately it doesn’t (which the internet said it wouldn’) so I cut right into that thang! And it’s tougher than it looks lol pic.twitter.com/dRXfpwuesa
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonUmbilical cord cut and I did a mighty fine job if I do say so myself
! At this point exhaustion is beginning to set in. But I need to clean up the bathroom because it looked like the set of a horror movie pic.twitter.com/DyvlwXXeQ2
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSo I clean up the bathroom, breastfeed my baby, and go to sleep. No I do not go to the hospital I take my ass to bed.
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonI didn’t know what I would need to leave the country with a newborn baby and I thought no better place to ask than the airport. pic.twitter.com/wTEhjfoIqC
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonWhen I get there the airport workers are freaking out bc you can tell this baby is fresh. I legit didn’t have any baby clothes & made him something out of my favorite blue oversized button down (RIP
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSo they called in customs, the police, a doctor & a nurse (to check the baby & me to see if I actually gave birth), and the airline higher ups. I was bombarded with questions (naturally) but finally I proved that I wasn’t a trafficker. During this I called the @USEmbassyTurkey. pic.twitter.com/HH9zQybcHB
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonAnyway there’s a knocked on the room that I’m in an someone comes in and says “they want to take your picture.” I’m thinking this was a part of the investigation. It was not lol. I walk out and there are press EVERYWHERE!!! pic.twitter.com/YdCSC4U1U9
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonIdk how they found out but someone tipped them off to my story and they had all the questions lol. If you google my name and Istanbul Turkey articles will pop up
(These are the ladies who helped me) pic.twitter.com/JsHQEUjtMy
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonIdk how they found out but someone tipped them off to my story and they had all the questions lol. If you google my name and Istanbul Turkey articles will pop up
(These are the ladies who helped me) pic.twitter.com/JsHQEUjtMy
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSide Note:
Shoutout to @TurkishAirlines this was hands down the best flight, attendants, services, and overall workers I’ve ever experienced. Everyone was so nice! They bought him his first outfit lol. Because he was damn near naked when he arrived
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonAnyway @TurkishAirlines shuttles me over to the US Consulate for free with a translator (really shoutout to them!) and when I get there a journalist pops out of nowhere trying to ask me question like ma’am! How did you even find me?! pic.twitter.com/P64aq12xCv
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonSo the translator is like like miss maybe later. The reporter was like okay I’ll wait. So I’m in the consulates for like 2/3 hours (it has been a superrrrrrrr long day). So as I’m inside I have to answer a bunch of the same questions & apply for his birth certificate & passport pic.twitter.com/X3JptPMaJi
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonAfter everything they say they’re going to take me to the hospital. It’s been almost 24hrs since I’ve given birth. But before I can go my consulate contact comes back & tells me I have to go out the back & get escorted by this special agent bc the press were too heavy out front. pic.twitter.com/WE8YBFSVRa
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonTo wrap up I go to the hospital get checked out everything is fine. He’s perfectly healthy! Lol the doctors were shocked to hear my story. I made national news & people would stop us to take pictures all the time & a random elderly woman grabbed my boob as I was breastfeeding pic.twitter.com/gGp4lJvEvl
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonBecause she was showing me the correct way to do it
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonOh yeah and the press were there when we flew back to the states too
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonOh and no one knew I had a baby until days after I gave birth to him (not even my mom) so I sprang this story on everyone
Tia Freeman@TheWittleDemonHere he is Xavier Ata Freeman born March 7, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey! My little surprise bundle of international joy!
(His middle name is Turkish) pic.twitter.com/HVlnvqEClQ
Source:www.independent.co.uk
