--- title: Woman Has Surprise Birth in Shower description: Des Moines Register reports a woman taking a shower had stomach pains and then gave birth canonical: https://time.com/3745825/surprise-birth-in-shower/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-16T16:08:19.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:47:53.489Z og:title: Iowa Woman Was Taking a Shower When She Suddenly Gave Birth og:description: Des Moines Register reports a woman taking a shower had stomach pains and then gave birth og:url: https://time.com/3745825/surprise-birth-in-shower/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Iowa Woman Was Taking a Shower When She Suddenly Gave Birth twitter:description: Des Moines Register reports a woman taking a shower had stomach pains and then gave birth twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Iowa Woman Was Taking a Shower When She Suddenly Gave Birth  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Mar 16, 2015 4:08 PM UTC  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Mar 16, 2015 4:08 PM UTC An Iowa woman recently gave birth to a baby while taking a shower, the [_Des Moines Register_ reports](http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/local/2015/03/13/woman-gives-birth-fullterm-baby-shower/70292378/). Brittany Young, 24, of Des Moines said she decided to take a shower because she was having stomach pains. But they didn’t go away, and before she knew it, she pushed out a 6-pound, 8-ounce baby aptly named Miracle. A friend called an ambulance. Paramedics arrived, cut the umbilical cord and took the baby to Mercy Medical Center. Young told the [_Des Moines Register_](http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/local/2015/03/13/woman-gives-birth-fullterm-baby-shower/70292378/)that the baby opened its eyes and did not cry: “I was like, there’s a baby here.” The more “surprise birth” stories are reported—whether it happens on a PATH train or in a Baltimore airport bathroom—the more it shows how unpredictable labor can be. “Some women don’t feel the pain of labor contractions,” as Time.com previously [reported](http://healthland.time.com/2012/01/18/a-baby-is-born-on-train-to-nyc-why-labor-is-so-unpredictable/), based on a conversation with an obstetrician. “In other unusual situations, women who don’t realize they’re pregnant in the first place don’t identify contractions for what they are. As obesity rates rise, that scenario is likely to become more prevalent.” _Read next:_ [_Japan Eyes Matchmaking, Paternity Leave to Lift Birth Rate_](http://time.com/3744317/japan-birth-rate-matchmaking-paternity-leave/?iid=time%5Freadnext) ### See the Funniest and Weirdest Baby Photos  Shot for TIME, 2015 Evan Kafka for TIME  Shot for TIME, 2015 Photo-illustration by Evan Kafka for TIME  Shot for TIME, 2015 Photo-illustration by Evan Kafka for TIME  Shot for TIME, 2015 Photo-illustration by Evan Kafka for TIME  Personal work, 2009 Evan Kafka—Getty Images  Shot for Huggies, 2011 Evan Kafka  Personal work, 2009 Evan Kafka  Personal work, 2009 Evan Kafka—Getty Images  Personal work, 2009 Photo-illustration by Evan Kafka—Getty Images  Personal work, 2011 Evan Kafka—Getty Images  Personal work, 2009 Evan Kafka—Getty Images  Personal work, 2009 Evan Kafka—Getty Images  [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3745825/surprise-birth-in-shower/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3745825/surprise-birth-in-shower/"},"headline":"Iowa Woman Was Taking a Shower When She Suddenly Gave Birth","datePublished":"2015-03-16T16:08:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:47:53.489Z","description":"\"I was like, there's a baby here\"","url":"https://time.com/3745825/surprise-birth-in-shower/","keywords":["Newsfeed","society"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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