Published 14:54 16 Dec 2017 GMT

College student completes her exam while in labor

The old saying goes that women are better than men at multi-tasking and there has never been a clearer example of this than the following story. Being a male, I can only begin to imagine how stressful giving birth is. Luckily for me, it's an experience that I will never have to endure - something for which I am incredibly thankful. However, if you have given birth before, I'm guessing it's pretty difficult to focus on anything else when you are trying to squeeze a human out of your body. But astonishingly, this is exactly what one student from Missouri, US, managed to achieve. Nayzia Thomas shared a photo online on Tuesday which shows her finishing the last of her finals. However, rather than being in the library like the rest of us, she was in a hospital bed that she was preparing to give birth in later that day. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/naydxll/status/940450102472204288]] "My mom took this pic and it's the perfect explanation of my life," Thomas wrote in the photograph's caption. "Yes, I'm about to have a baby, but final SZN ain't over yet." According to reports, Thomas had continued to attend classes at Johnson County Community College in Kansas City, where she was reading psychology, up until her 39th week of pregnancy.The student had hoped to finish her finals whilst in school but the new addition to her family decided to arrive a few weeks early. Despite the fact that her school had given her permission to turn in her work later due to her unique circumstances, Thomas decided that she wanted to complete the assignment early. "It wasn’t due until the end of the week — finals week is Dec. 11 to tomorrow — but my goal was to try to have everything done before [the baby came]," she said. "[I thought,] before all this gets crazy let me hurry up and finish this final.'" [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/naydxll/status/940708654399057922]] However, while it may seem mad that Thomas decided to finish her finals early, it's a good thing she did. Shortly after given birth, Thomas' body lost a lot of blood during the delivery and went into shock, with the young mother falling unconscious. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/naydxll/status/941381516831150080]] Taking to her Twitter account to update her followers, Thomas said: 'Update: on 12/12/17 we had a healthy baby boy. However, I experienced major blood loss & my body went into shock post-delivery. 'It was very scary, but his father was right there to take over when I went unconscious. We are blessed! AND I'm finishing the semester w/ a 3.5 GPA!' Late on Friday night, the new mother and hardest working student in the world, shared one last update, saying that it was time for her young family to go home. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/naydxll/status/941866986639953920]] "Last update: got a blood transfusion b/c of all the blood loss & we finally headed home today! Thanks to everyone again for the positivity and love. "Its been hard trying to cope with being so close to death, but I can't thank God enough for being able to share my story!!" No doubt Thomas is an incredibly strong and brave woman, who if she continues in that vein, will go on to be a fantastic mother to her new-born son. Good luck to the new family!

lifestyle3 min(s) read

Published 15:15 14 May 2023 GMT

First-time mom receives her college diploma while in labor

James Kay

A determined first-time mother wasn't going to let being about to give birth stop her from graduating college, as she collected her diploma despite being in labor.

As people navigate their way through life, they will occasionally be met with a huge occasion like getting married or buying a dream home.

But what happens when two of these massive moments overlap? Should one take priority over the other or would it be acceptable to try and give both the celebration they deserve?

One woman found herself in this exact situation as she was set to walk up on stage to collect her college diploma when her unborn child decided this was the opportune moment to want to make an appearance.

First-time mom Kelsey Hudie was due to take to the stage at Henry Ford College in Michigan to collect her diploma when she was 38 weeks pregnant.

Naturally, she went into early labor and started dilating before taking to the stage but that wasn't going to stop her from receiving what she had worked so hard for as she crossed the stage despite being dilated.

"That wasn't going to stop me from walking across the stage," the 27-year-old told WDIV-TV.

Hudie continued: "I even said if I had her before the walk, I was just going to hold her in my arms and walk across that stage."

The college informed Hudie that she didn't need to be there in person to gain her diploma, but after working so hard, she wanted to enjoy the occasion.

Speaking to ABC News, the college's president, Russell Kavalhuna said: "When we bring people through Henry Ford College, they've got grit. They've got perseverance.

"This student has told me, and us, 'I'm going to walk across that stage despite the fact that I am 38 weeks pregnant. I am dilated, and I can't wait for you, Russ, and your friends to talk for an hour-and-a-half so I need to graduate quickly."

Due to the upcoming arrival, the college called the expecting mother on stage before anybody else so she could receive her diploma and quickly get to the hospital so she could give birth.

Hudie said: "They did tell me that I didn't need to walk but I said I'm walking. [College] was my accomplishment and this is the proof. I was expecting to walk in just like normal, but I was determined.

"The crowd just went wild. I think that put a big smile on my face," Hudie continued. "I didn't really realize when I was walking across the stage with her in my belly that I'd be a big inspiration to others."

Hudie then gave birth to a healthy baby girl and has since stated her intent to return to school so she can become a full-time teacher.

We're sure this was a day that the new mother will never forget!

Featured image credit: Emily Ranquist / Pexels

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1000-lb sisters keke palmer joey chestnut david chang

world politics1 min(s) read

Published 23:25 11 Jun 2019 GMT

Woman gives birth and takes exams 30 minutes later

Tom Wood

A 21-year-old woman has caused plenty of buzz online, after sitting up in her hospital bed to take her exams - having given birth just half an hour earlier.

Nothing was going to stop Almaz Derese, who lives from Metu in western Ethiopia, from graduating, with exam season delayed because of the Islamic holiday Ramadan. This did lead to a problem, though.

Almaz went into labour on Monday, shortly before her first exam was scheduled to take place, but once she had successfully become a mother, this young woman did not want to wait another year to graduate. "Because I was rushing to sit the exam, my labour wasn't difficult at all," she explained to the BBC.

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/SomPundit/status/1138441808051154944]]

Her husband Tadese Tulu had to convince her school to let her take her exams in the maternity ward.

Almaz took her English, Amharic and maths secondary school exams in hospital, but over the next couple of days will take her remaining exams at an examination centre. It's not uncommon for women in Ethiopia to drop out of school to give birth, completing their studies later, but Almaz is happy with how the exams went, as well as her newborn baby son.

She now wants to take a two-year course that will help her to prepare for university.

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uncategorised3 min(s) read

Published 14:19 14 Dec 2017 GMT

This beauty blogger's postpartum photo is beautifully honest about pregnancy

Tom Wood

Women are truly magnificent creatures; forced to deal with periods, the patriarchy and men, you'd think they'd get a break in other regards. But no, women are responsible for furthering the human race too. Now, while there is a select (and decidedly irritating) group of women who wax lyrical about the wonders of pregnancy and childbirth, for the majority, there is little joy to be found in hosting a human invader inside your body. I mean, just think about it: a veritable parasite literally feeds off your life force for nine months, your body swells to epic proportions, and you're forbidden from drinking alcohol and eating brie. Despite all of this, women still face judgment for how they chose to conduct their pregnancy, and the manner in which they give birth. In particular, those who have had C-sections are denigrated for choosing the "easy way out" and their experiences of childbirth are often maligned on account of them not being wholly "natural". This is primarily because many people fail to understand why women choose to get C-sections, and it's mainly because many do not "choose" to get them at all. Indeed, in the majority of cases, C-sections are performed on account of medical necessity. One beauty blogger, however, has had enough of this kind of talk, and has been using her platform to reveal the truth about the procedure. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BZOECb-hDil/?taken-by=baybayruth]] Ruth Lee is a 25-year-old beauty blogger who gave birth to her daughter, Presley, back in November of 2016. While Ruth planned on having a vaginal birth, things didn't exactly go to plan. After taking hours of birthing classes and reading countless books on natural childbirth, she had to endure a 19-hour long "traumatic labor", filled with numerous complications. Her doctors eventually decided to perform a Caesarean section which kept her in the hospital for four days. Ruth recently took to Instagram to post a photo of her postpartum stomach, and to share an inspiring message. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ4mfROB-LI/]] "I'm posting this with tears in my eyes," Ruth wrote in the caption, explaining that pregnancy and childbirth doesn't always go the way you plan. She asserted: "I followed SO many pregnant models during my pregnancy. And when they photographed themselves pool-side 5 minutes postpartum, I thought, "wow! I hope that happens to me!" I was 25 when I gave birth. I was healthy. I was young. I stayed active during my pregnancy. I took the best prenatals, went to the gym, used every kind of stretch mark prevention you could think of. I took hours of birthing classes, read every book under the sun, and studied natural childbirth my whole pregnancy. I STILL ended up with a traumatic labor, cesarean section, scars, stretch marks, and unfortunately the inability to breastfeed long term." [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BPLVnBFgWAU/]] Coming to terms with her unexpected C-section has also inspired Ruth to urge women everywhere not to compare their experiences to other people's. She continued; "I took this and actually was horrified. I couldn't believe it was me. I'm sharing it because I know in my heart that there are people out there that struggle with inadequacy. That might think they are not beautiful, that they might be ruined, less worthy, or not good enough. Yours might not actually be physical scars, but maybe, a failed relationship, a difficulty in your career, a mental struggle, money issues, or just feeling lost in life. Be kind to yourself. And know that you are not alone. Comparison is the thief of joy." Well, Ruth is certainly an inspiration for both pregnant and postpartum women. While mass media often paints an idealized picture of pregnancy and childbirth, in reality, it's a lot more of a messy and unexpected ordeal than most people realize. However, at the end of the day - C-section or no C-section - all that matters is that you have a healthy, happy baby, and that's certainly what this beauty blogger has achieved.

relationships2 min(s) read

Published 16:53 13 Oct 2020 GMT

Woman goes into labor and gives birth in middle of taking the bar exam

Tom Wood

A woman who hails from Illinois, US, went into labor and gave birth while taking the bar exam.

Brianna Hill, who is a recent graduate of the Loyola University School of Law in Chicago, knew she would be pregnant during her bar exam, but she wasn't expecting her test to be pushed forward due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking to CNN about her unconventional birth story, Brianna said: "I thought I would only be 28 weeks pregnant when I took the bar. However, due to the pandemic, the test was pushed to October and I was going to be 38 weeks. I joked about taking the test from my hospital bed. Lesson learned!"

Per Brianna, the remote version of the test is four 90-minute sections spread out over two days, however, the exam is proctored so you have to sit in front of the computer the entire time to ensure that no cheating can occur.

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/NBCPhiladelphia/status/1314741584789987328]]

"I thought I felt something about 30 minutes into the test and actually thought, 'I really hope my water didn't just break,'" Brianna told the publication. "But I couldn't go check and so I finished the first section. As soon as I stood up when I finished, I knew my water had broken."

But this didn't stop Brianna from completing the test.

"I took my break, got myself cleaned up, called my husband, midwife, and mom, cried because I was a little panicked, then sat down to take the second part because my midwife told me I had time before I needed to go to the hospital," she continued, before detailing that she got to the hospital at around 5:30 PM and that her baby boy arrived just after 10 PM.

"The whole time my husband and I were talking about how we wanted me to finish the test and my midwife and nurses were so on board. There just wasn't another option in my mind."

newborn baby

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Pexels]]

The following day, hospital staff provided Brianna with an empty room to finish the test and put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door.

She managed to complete the exam, and even nursed her newborn during breaks in the test.

"I'm so thankful for the support system I had around me. The midwives and nurses were so invested in helping me not only become a mom but also a lawyer," Brianna said. "My husband and law school friends provided me with so much encouragement so I could push through the finish line even under less than ideal circumstances. And my family, especially my sister, just kept reminding me how I could do it even when I wasn't so sure myself."

While she hasn't yet received her bar exam results, Brianna already has a job lined up.

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lifestyle2 min(s) read

Published 17:15 21 Dec 2023 GMT

Graduating mom walks the stage with her 10-day-old baby under her gown

Tom Wood

A woman walked across the stage at her graduation with her 10-day-old baby girl by her side.

Grace Szymchack, from Michigan, has spent the past six years raising a family and working toward her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, as reported by Fox News.

She had been due to give birth to her second child on December 18, which was three days after her commencement ceremony on December 15, but the bundle of joy arrived earlier than expected.

On December 6, Szymchack had a C-section and welcomed her newborn, Annabelle, into the world. Despite the early birth, the mom-of-two remained adamant about attending her graduation at Ferris State University.

Like most new moms, Szymchack didn't want to be away from her baby, even for just a few hours. So her mother suggested that she keep her infant with her by tucking her underneath her gown, which is exactly what Szymchack did.

In a photo shared by the university, the mom could be seen beaming in a matching black cap and gown while her newborn, wrapped in a white blanket, slept in a black sling strapped to her chest.

Szymchack told local outlets that some people didn’t even notice the baby at the ceremony, as her daughter took the entire event in her stride and didn’t make a sound.

The graduate received her bachelor's degree, and her husband, Caleb, and additional family members were all present to cheer her on.

"It was just important for me to walk because I've been working on this degree for a long time," Szymchack said, per ABC News. "And with lots of support from my husband and family, I was just determined to actually walk and I just wasn't ready to leave [Annabelle] with anyone yet."

Szymchack, who currently works at a local hospital teaching a preschool class, hopes that she can become a teacher, telling Ferris News: "I love working with the littles the best … I feel like I can really make an impact there."

She also told Fox 59 that she would think about doing a Master’s degree, but will wait for her kids to get a bit older before deciding.

The doting parent hopes that her inspiring story can motivate other moms who want to receive their degrees.

"I teach in a state-funded program and I just hope it inspires other moms... to go back and finish the degree that they want or to start the degree that they have been hoping for," she said.

Congratulations to Grace Szymchack on her incredible achievement!