Boy does Taylor Swift deliver! 24-yr-old goes into labor at Rio concert, but didn't know she was pregnant
RIO DE JANERIO, BRAZIL: Talk about making an entrance into the world — Maria Flor from Brazil is just days old, but she's already earned her Swiftie stripes!
Born just hours after her mom, Maria Mendes, 24, fell ill at the concert venue, right before Taylor Swift went on stage in Rio de Janeiro on the night of November 18, little Maria Flor might just be the youngest Swiftie on record.
Maria Mendes' water broke while Taylor Swift performed live on the stage
Mendes shared with online news outlet G1 that she had eagerly waited for several years to attend a concert by her favorite artist. She went on to reveal that she had purchased tickets for the singer's Eras Tour at the last minute.
In regards to the incident, one X user said, "imagine being able to say your entire life that you were born at a taylor swift concert if that baby wasn’t meant to be a swiftie idk who is"
imagine being able to say your entire life that you were born at a taylor swift concert if that baby wasn’t meant to be a swiftie idk who is
— dom ☆ (@ev3rhaze) May 21, 2023
pic.twitter.com/vYgMuv8z0f
Feeling some pain on the morning of the concert, she initially attributed it to menstrual cramps. Despite this, she believed she was well enough to attend the show.
"It was a pain that came and went, but it didn't cross my mind that it was a pregnancy contraction," Mendes explained.
Undeterred, she waited from "10 am until the gate opened."
The pain intensified once she reached her seats at Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium, prompting her to head to the bathroom. It was there that her water suddenly broke, with Taylor Swift's music playing in the background.
Does anyone know if the woman that gave birth in the parking lot of Gillette after the eras tour named her baby Taylor?? Cause it’s only fitting LMFAOOO 😭 #FoxboroughTSTheErasTour
— lauren🎅🏼 (@wtvlauren) May 21, 2023
Rushed to Salgado Filho Hospital, Mendes underwent an ultrasound before being transferred to Carmela Dutra Maternity Hospital, where she ultimately gave birth to her daughter.
"When my water broke, and I got into the ambulance, I felt like it was already in place to come out. I only knew it was time when the doctor put me on the ultrasound and told me that there was a 100% chance that I was pregnant at 40 weeks," she shared.
"I would just have to push for a natural birth. It was a total surprise. I was menstruating. Nothing would make me consider that happening, and at the show. When I arrived at the maternity ward, I was already eight centimeters dilated."
Brazilian concert venues are 'hotspots' for expectant mothers
It seems Brazilian concert venues have gained a reputation for being associated with mothers going into labor during shows.
In May 2022, a woman who was 39 weeks pregnant went into labor during the middle of a Metallica show at Couto Pereira Stadium in Curitiba.
Mendes too had no inkling that she was pregnant despite experiencing constant muscle spasms for weeks before the concert.
She had continued to attend work without any complications, and even post-workout photos taken in October showed no signs of a baby bump.
woke up to find out apparently someone was giving birth in an ambulance outside of gillette stadium immediately after taylor’s show??? i wonder if it’s like with that disneyland urban legend where if you give birth at a taylor swift concert your baby gets free tickets for life
— dana - KC N2 + Madrid N1💕 (@danameyy) May 21, 2023
The medical staff suggested naming the baby after the 11-time Grammy Award-winning artist, but Mendes had already chosen a name for her future daughter.
"I was super happy listening to my heart. I tried to stay calm," the first-time mother shared.
"Despite everything there at the time, I really wanted her to be well and healthy. Now I want to focus on my daughter's health, be 100 percent, and, perhaps, one day, be able to take her to a Taylor concert."