Brianna Folk and her baby Makila Miracle Atkins. (Courtesy of Michelle Richmond)
A 23-year-old woman who had no idea she was pregnant safely delivered her own baby girl in a bathroom shower, according to the baby's grandmother.
What they're saying:
Michelle Richmond said her 23-year-old daughter, Briana Folk, went into labor in the shower before 5:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Richmond and her daughter had recently moved from New York to stay at her brother Michael's house.
Folk delivered the baby herself, cut the umbilical cord, cleaned up herself and her baby, and sat bonding in the bathroom for about an hour before calling for help.
"She [Folk] was hysterical. She was crying. And when I looked, there was the baby. She [the baby] was breathing, she was clean, she was crying," Richmond explained.
"I don't know if it was because she was in shock or whatever, but she just took care of her baby," Richmond added.
Richmond stated that her daughter had no idea she was pregnant because she was getting her monthly period regularly and showed few physical signs on her small frame.
"I thought maybe she was eating too much because her little stomach got a little pudgy, but not to the point where she had a full-term baby," Richmond said.
Richmond noted that her daughter had only complained of severe back pain the night before the delivery.
After the family called 911, an ambulance transported them to the hospital.
The newborn baby girl weighed 5 pounds, 3 ounces, and measured 18.25 inches long.
Richmond said the healthy infant recently passed her hearing test and is eating well.
"I did ask her, I said, How do you feel about being a mom? She said, I love it. She said, I'm just going to do the best I can to take care of my daughter," Richmond said.
The family named the baby girl Makila Miracle Atkins because they considered her safe delivery a true miracle.
"God is good. That's what I will say. God is good. She's a miracle," Richmond said.
What's next:
Both the mother and baby girl are recovering and doing well at Northside Atlanta Hospital.
Richmond said her daughter quickly embraced motherhood and is focused on feeding and taking care of her new baby.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from an interview with grandmother Michelle Richmond, who recounted the home delivery and hospital update.