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Health

11th Mar 2022

Woman pushes so hard during birth her eye starts swelling

Sarah McKenna Barry

Bethany said that her doctor had never seen it happen before.

A TikTok user has gone viral after sharing an extreme eye injury she endured while giving birth.

23-year-old Bethany Collins told her followers on the video-sharing platform that she pushed so hard while in labour that it caused her eye to swell massively, or, in her words, it “popped out”.

In one video which has since been viewed over a million times, Bethany captured how excited she was to become a mum, but, in the subsequent shot, she shared a photograph of her eye, which was visibly bulging and swollen.

In the text over the photo, she wrote: “My eye popped out while I was pushing”.

She gave more context in the caption of her video, writing: “My doctor said, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen this happen before’, but now I have Miss Phoebe.”

Bethany added that her eye went back to normal six weeks later.

 

@clydestinks69 My doctor said, “wow, I’ve never seen this happen before! ??” but now I have miss Phoebe ? & yes, my eye went back 6 weeks later ? #greenscreen #fyp #babiesoftiktok #pregnanttiktok #pregnant ♬ original sound – ?

According to the website BabyCenter, the pushing and straining during labour can cause the blood vessels and capillaries in your eyes to burst, leading to bloodshot eyes.

The website says that bloodshot eyes are “generally harmless”and tend to resolve within two weeks. However, they say that if you are experiencing any pain, changes in vision or mucous, you should seek medical attention.

For treatment postpartum, BabyCenter recommends over the counter artificial tears, using a cold compress for 10 minutes every day, avoiding irritants like pet dander, smoke and pollen, using clean towels and pillowcases and focusing on rest and sleep.

In the comments, it seemed Bethany wasn’t the only one who experienced eye swelling in labour.

One person wrote: “I popped a bunch of blood vessels in my eyes from pushing so hard.”

Another said: “Omg my eyes bled because I pushed so hard. I looked so scary.”