New Mom Experiences Eyeball 'Popping Out' While Giving Birth

A natural birth puts extreme strain on a woman's body, but one new mom from Indiana had the unexpected and rare experience of having her eyeball "pop-out" during childbirth.

Bethany Collins, a 23-year-old mom, shared what happened to her eye with her followers on TikTok. She explained that her bloodshot eye resulted from giving birth for the first time with so much force on her body.

The new mom also said that her doctor had never seen anything like it before and proceeded to show photos of herself and her new baby. In one of the photos, the new mom's left eye is seen slightly protruding from her face as she's on the way to recovery.

@clydestinks69 My doctor said, "wow, I've never seen this happen before! " but now I have miss Phoebe  & yes, my eye went back 6 weeks later  #greenscreen #fyp #babiesoftiktok #pregnanttiktok #pregnant ♬ original sound - 

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What Happened During Bethany's Labor?

According to Daily Mail, Collins was administered a drug to stimulate a contraction as she was overdue. Despite this, her labor did not progress as the doctor expected, and her baby's heart rate was dropping so low. 

So, her doctor gave her an epidural and asked her to push with force, but the act placed so much pressure on her whole body that Collins felt something pop in her. After successfully giving birth to Phoebe Ann, Collins asked her husband, who was in the delivery room with her, if her eyeball was still attached to her head.

"I opened my eyes and everything was blurry," the mother said. "I felt so much pressure in my left eye."

Overnight, the new mom felt the bulge to her left eye getting worse and worse despite assurances from the hospital staff that it would go back to normal. An optometrist also checked up on her and assured her there was no cause for worry.

Collins said that she noticed improvements in her eye about two weeks after birth. But while she was not in any pain, she looked like someone who had gotten a black eye. She was also squinting from the uncomfortable bulge, and her ordeal lasted at least six weeks.

Her TikTok video has garnered more than 1.8 million views and received thousands of comments from other moms. One pregnant young mom, who is due to give birth in a few months, said she should not have shared the photos because it will scare other first-time moms.

Can Eyes Really Pop During Childbirth?

According to BabyCenter, some moms do develop bloodshot eyes because of childbirth as the pressure and strain can cause the breaking of the capillaries around the eyes. However, this rare occurrence is "generally harmless" and will resolve itself in weeks.

Pregnant moms who have diabetes, high blood pressure, or are taking blood-thinning medications may have a higher risk of breaking the capillaries while giving birth. However, as the doctors assured Collins, her eyes did not pop out of her head. She also had to wear an eyepatch for a few weeks as her eyes returned to normal.

Sometimes, a cold compress will help quicken the recovery. It may also help new moms to rest their eyes for at least 10 minutes several times a day. The other trick that will help with bloodshot eyes is to get enough sleep.

If bloodshot eyes come with other symptoms like headache, confusion, seeing lights or halos, pain, fever, and other bleeding in the body, a doctor should check it as soon as possible. 

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