Fitness blogger Sarah Stevenson shows the reality of childbirth in a spare-no-details video

In a video with 1.4 million views and counting, holistic health blogger Sarah Stevenson did something few have done before her: record—and post on the Internet for the world to see—the labor and delivery of her first-born son, Fox Ocean Tilse. The less “photogenic” elements of pregnancy and childbirth are still largely hidden from public view, making Stevenson’s on-camera vulnerability a sight for sore eyes.

In the caption of a photo Stevenson posted to Instagram, she describes childbirth as “the toughest thing we’ve ever gone through but by far the most rewarding.” Her video condenses the two-day endeavor (“over 24 hours of pre-labor, seven hours of active labor, and no sleep for over 40 hours”) into 25 minutes. Not to worry, that’s plenty of time to watch her clock her contractions, consult her midwife, make toast, bounce on her balance ball, cry, go to the hospital, consider the possibility of an emergency C-section, opt to have an epidural, and—you know—mentally prepare for becoming a parent. Nothing—and I mean nothing—is left out (see: the catheter discussion at minute 23).



Now that the video has been released, Stevenson says she has every intention of being totally transparent about her new identity as a mom. She’s already taken to the ‘gram to share how her body’s looking and feeling. “Right now, seven days since giving birth to Fox, I love my body more than ever!! I’m so excited to wear jeans, bend down to tie my shoes, and roll over in bed without shooting pelvic pain,” she says in a one-week post-partum caption.

According to an Instagram Story she posted Friday, Stevenson will soon be releasing part two of her birth video, which starts five hours after the last one ends and shows the process of taking Fox home. So expect even more unfiltered motherhood footage in the very near future.

New moms! Try this 10-minute meditation to help you relax,  and master these four moves before jumping back into fitness.