Baby-monitor footage of a new mom springing out of bed in a panic because she thought her baby couldn’t breathe has sparked viral discussion on TikTok.
Haley Kucera (@itshaleyjace) shared the clip, which shows her jolting awake and leaping toward her baby’s bassinet, convinced something was wrong. The video has racked up 139,100 likes and 3.5 million views on TikTok.
Kucera told Newsweek: “Once we got home it was a shock I’m sure most mothers feel. The feeling of ‘what do I do now?’ And just the fear of being solely responsible for this little life it’s very intimidating and overwhelming.”
She went on to explain to Newsweek that her daughter was born on September 22 via an unplanned C-section, leaving her little time to process what recovery from major surgery would be like. She said her baby arrived healthy, but that the hospital stay was exhausting, with nurses checking vitals frequently.
According to Kucera, she had been unsure whether maternal instincts would kick in, but she found that she quickly became hyper-aware of every sound her newborn made.
“Everyone told me that as a mom you just naturally know what to do and I thought that they were crazy there’s no way I’m just magically going to know how to care for a baby, but it’s so true. You just instinctively figure it out,” she told Newsweek.
She described the first week as difficult, marked by anxiety and sleep deprivation. She recalled dreaming that a pillow had fallen and was choking the baby, prompting her to move the bassinet farther from the bed.
In the incident captured on camera, she said she woke in the dark and misinterpreted what she saw as her baby lying face-down, causing her to leap out of bed despite not being fully healed from surgery.
She told Newsweek she was relieved her daughter was fine, even though the sudden movement caused her pain, and reflected that any mother would do the same. Now almost two months postpartum, she said she feels more confident, more attuned to her baby’s needs, and deeply fulfilled by motherhood.
C-section recovery typically involves weeks of healing, as it is a major abdominal surgery. According to the Cleveland Clinic, people who deliver via Cesarean section can expect pain, fatigue, limited mobility, and restrictions on lifting and exercise while the incision and internal tissues heal.
Full recovery can take up to six to eight weeks, and sudden movements—like jumping out of bed—can be especially painful during the early postpartum period.
TikTokers flooded Kucera’s comments with empathy, especially from other parents who had undergone C-sections.
“All us c section mummas can FEEL it watching this,” said Ashlee.
“I’m two days post c section and feel like I’ll never be able to move like this again,” said Mikayla.
“My c section is mostly healed and I literally recoiled watching you jump like that through the screen,” shared another mom.
“The burn from a c section is terrible. I’m a little over a month postpartum with my second c section. It gets better momma,” added another user.
“Oh baby I’m sorry. I had a c-section seven weeks ago and I felt the pain,” said Jennifer.
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