Mom goes into labor dressed as the Grinch—and finds joy in the chaos
Credit: Tiktok / @kate_eagleson
The 19-year-old from Vernon, British Columbia, went into labor while trick-or-treating with her younger brother and ended up rolling into the hospital in full costume: green face paint, Santa suit, and even an onion in hand
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Labor doesn’t exactly RSVP to our plans. It doesn’t care if you’re mid-grocery run, at a wedding, or, in the case of Canadian mom Katelyn Eagleson, dressed head-to-toe as the Grinch on Halloween night.
The 19-year-old from Vernon, British Columbia, went into labor while trick-or-treating with her younger brother and ended up rolling into the hospital in full costume: green face paint, Santa suit, and even an onion in hand. “It was really hard for me to walk, so my husband grabbed me a wheelchair, and I wheeled into the emergency room in full costume,” she told Newsweek. “We couldn’t stop laughing because I was dressed up, and other people in the ER started laughing, too.”
Nurses laughed right along
Her due date wasn’t until November 28—nearly a month away—so the whole scene caught everyone by surprise. Nurses at Vernon Jubilee Hospital tried to keep it professional, but Katelyn encouraged them to join in the laughter. “It made me feel more comfortable and made the experience more fun,” she said.
At one point, staff even snapped a photo of her mid-contraction, still trying to smile through the green paint.
Related: This mom tried something wild at 40 weeks to induce labor—and spoiler: it worked
TikTok moms know the feeling
Katelyn’s TikTok has now been viewed more than 7.1 million times, with thousands of parents chiming in to say her story captures both the comedy and chaos of labor.
- “I think you had an original experience,” one user posted.
- “And then imagine the face while pushing for the baby omg,” another added.
- And one summed it up: “Trying to steal Christmas, but ended up stealing our hearts.”
The birth didn’t follow her script
Though the costume moment was unforgettable, labor stretched far longer than Katelyn imagined. She was admitted at 4 centimeters dilated and endured 18 days of contractions before giving birth to her daughter, Olivia, on November 18. By then, the Grinch makeup had worn off—but the story was sealed as family legend.
Related: Here’s how a pelvic floor PT preps for labor & childbirth
Why this resonates with every mom
For every hilarious detail, there’s a bigger truth moms recognize instantly: labor is unpredictable. You can write a birth plan, pack the perfect bag, or time your due date down to the week, but babies have their own timelines. And sometimes, you find yourself laughing through contractions in green face paint because humor is the only way through the chaos.
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