Baby Harper has been dubbed the “TikTok baby” after her unusual birth story made her internet famous.
The Vacaville newborn’s birth story has been viewed more than 1 million times on TikTok.
It started when Harper's mother, Shayanna Markham was sent home from the hospital about five centimeters dilated, only to give birth in her bathroom less than 30 minutes later when the baby just couldn’t wait.
“I just grabbed a towel from the towel rack and put it on the floor for some cushion," she said. "And, within a few seconds after filling her head, I pushed. I just couldn’t help. You just had to and I caught her. I was in there by myself because my husband went to go get his phone. It happened that fast."
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
Anthony Markham ran to his truck to grab his cellphone. But by the time he got back, the baby was already out. So, he did what he could.
“I was scared that the baby was stillborn. Just cause of the color she was and she wasn’t breathing at first or crying," he said. "She wasn’t making any noise. That’s why I started hitting her back to get her to cry at least."
The 911 dispatcher then instructed Anthony to tie off the umbilical cord.
“I didn’t have a roll of string by me. So, I looked down. I had a shoelace and I had a pocket knife on me. I cut my shoelace off to tie the umbilical cord," he said.
Firefighters arrived minutes later and they took over.
“They put their clamps on and then, gave me their sterilized X-Acto knife to cut the cord. I did offer to use my pocket knife but they said no,” Anthony said.
Firefighter Will Parker carried out the baby as Shayanna was wheeled into the ambulance. She was still in shock.
“I think it’s crazy and I never expected anything to happen like this. You see this stuff like this on TV or on videos. But you never expect it to be you,” she said.
Baby Harper’s parents are relieved she’s healthy.
“Now, she got some EMT and firefighter uncles. She has a fun fact as her birth story. She will see all of this,” Shayanna said.
“I’m super grateful that the baby's OK, wife’s OK. Everyone’s alright. Everyone’s healthy,” Anthony said.
NBC Bay Area reached out to Kaiser Permanente for a response Friday. While they said they can’t talk about this specific case due to privacy, they added that deliveries do happen unexpectedly on occasion.
Kaiser says they recognize the families and thank the first responders, who are able to manage these situations.
