TikTok mom said she would choose to save her baby if birth goes wrong and internet is shared

A mother of four has sparked heated debate with a TikTok post about whether she would save herself or her baby if she had a medical emergency during labor.

Shelbie Martin’s TikTok clip was brief — but it went viral and divided opinion.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Mom’s viral TikTok on difficult labor is dividing opinion.

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“If during labor you have to choose between saving me or the baby, save me,” her post was captioned.

“I have babies at home who need me.”

Martin, from Utah in the US, added, “And my husband agrees.”

Some commenters said they would always put their baby’s life first.

“If you’re not ready to protect the baby inside, then back home are better off without you,” one person wrote.

“Wow, you always save the baby. They have their father,” said another.

“I’m on my second and still saying save my CHILD,” wrote a third.

“Don’t say you’ll take a bullet if you can’t put them first in ANY aspect.”

“I couldn’t live with that, I’d rather let my baby come into the world,” said one.

Others agreed with Martin and said they would make the same decision.

“You’re the first person I’ve seen like this that didn’t say ‘save the baby’… I totally agree,” one supporter wrote.

“I agree. Even without kids. Remember we are someone’s kids too… My parents couldn’t live without me,” wrote another.

“Society expects you to save the baby but I have babies and a husband that would be lost without me, heartbreaking as it would be I agree,” added a third.

A follower said: “Before I had kids I would say save the baby. I have two kids now…they need me.”

“I have no children but if this happens save me, I can have another baby but no one can replace me,” wrote another.

Noting some criticism of Martin’s choice, one follower wrote: “Why is this an unpopular opinion in the first place? Always save the mother!”

Some women shared their own deeply personal stories of difficult decisions they had to make.

“I had a stillbirth, I had postpartum bleeding. I remember asking the nurse to save my life in the theater for my kids at home,” one person wrote.

Martin replied: “I’m so sorry you went through this and I’m proud of you for the decision you made in that moment for your babies at home.”

Another countered, “People say so, but losing a baby and living after it is the hardest thing ever… saying it like it’s nothing.

“I’d rather die than go through that again.”

After Martin’s video went viral, she told Newsweek that she was 18 when she lost her own mother.

She said she posted the video in response to another TikTok user who wanted nurses to prioritize saving a baby’s life in the delivery room over the mother’s life.

“I absolutely got a backlash,” she told the outlet.

“I’ve been told I don’t deserve my kids, my kids are better off without me, and some things even harder.”

She said she stands by her opinion on the matter.

“I’m glad it put other moms at ease when they thought they were being selfish,” she said.

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