This days-old healthy girl in Brazil may just be the youngest Swiftie known to date.
Maria Flor was welcomed to the world just hours after her mother, Maria Mendes, 24, fell ill moments before Taylor Swift was set to take the stage in Rio de Janeiro last Saturday night.
Mendes told online news outlet G1 that she had been waiting several years to watch her favorite artist in concert and had purchased the singer’s Eras Tour tickets at the last minute.
She felt some pain the morning of the concert and thought it was just cramps that she was feeling from her menstrual cycle, and decided she was fit 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.
‘I stayed from 10 am until the gate opened, waiting and hoping that the pain would go away soon, as it was close to the show.’
Maria Mendes was not aware she was about 40 weeks pregnant and went into labor at a Taylor Swift concert in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. She gave birth to a girl, who she named Maria Flor, despite efforts from hospital staff who suggested the singer’s name
Maria Flor could be the youngest Swiftie – she was born moments after her 24-year-old mother Maria Mendes went into labor at the concert venue before Taylor Swift took the stage for her Eras Tour show in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday
The pain worsened once she reached her seats at Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium and decided to head to the bathroom before her water suddenly broke as Taylor Swift’s music blared in the background.
Mendes was rushed to Salgado Filho Hospital, where doctors performed an ultrasound, and then transferred to Carmela Dutra Maternity Hospital, where she 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 said.
‘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.’
Mendes said she had no clue she was expecting a baby despite dealing with constant muscle spasms. She attended work without any issues during the pregnancy and post-workout photos taken in October did not show a baby bump.
The medical staff even suggested she name the baby after the 11-time Grammy Award winning artist, but she said she had already a name in place for a future daughter.
‘I was super happy listening to my heart. I tried to stay calm,’ the first-time mother said.
‘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.’
Taylor Swift performs during the second night of her Eras Tour in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday
Maria Mendes was unable to watch the Taylor Swift concert she had purchased last minutes tickets for because she went into labor before the singer took the stage at Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium on Saturday
Maria Mendes said there were suggestions that she should have named her baby after Taylor Swift
Brazilian concert venues have been synonymous with mother’s 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.
A mother-of-two at that time, Joice Figueiró knew the moment had arrived to give birth to her son as the band started playing the hit anthem, Enter Sandman.
Paramedics and Figueiró’s doctor, who happened to be at the concert, rushed to her seating area
Her husband Jaime Figuieró sought help from a team of paramedics at the concert venue and her doctor, who also happened to be at the show, immediately rushed to her seating area.
She delivered a healthy Luan Figuieró in the stadium’s handicap area before an ambulance transported them to a nearby hospital.