Couple Goes to Hospital in Halloween Costumes Before Daughter’s Birth (Exclusive)

• Pregnant Laura Ortiz dressed up as Thor on October 31, 2023, when it was time to go to the hospital to greet her daughter — and she got her husband to dress up too
• Ahead of the October holidays this year, she shared the footage on TikTok, where it quickly went viral
• Ortiz, who had pregnancy complications, tells PEOPLE that she has “always loved Halloween” and that the decision to dress up was also a way to relieve stress

Last HalloweenA couple celebrated by going to the hospital in costume to welcome their first child. This year, footage of the happy moment went viral.

Laura Ortiz, a 27-year-old artist and housewife, reflected on the couple’s happy Halloween memory in a video posted on TikTok Sunday, October 27th. In the video – which has over 3.3. Million views – she and her husband Reid Halvorson, 26, wear costumes from the Thor Movies Ortiz portrayed “Lazy Thor” while her husband rocked a look from the 2022 film Thor: Love and Thunder.

In addition to their grand entrance at Skyridge Medical Center in Colorado, the clip shows them handing out candy to hospital staff and turning Ortiz’s room into a party area. The footage then shows a photo of Ortiz out of costume in her hospital gown, followed by a sweet shot of the couple with their newborn daughter Emilia.

Speaking to PEOPLE, Ortiz says she had a number of complications before giving birth, including gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. For this reason, doctors recommended inducing labor.

“I looked at the calendar and saw that we could attend Halloween,” Ortiz remembers. “And I’ve always loved Halloween. It is one of my favorite holidays. I kind of thought, “Maybe I’ll convince my husband to dress up with me and be Thor from the different movies.”

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Ortiz says wearing costumes not only expressed her holiday spirit, but was also a way to calm her nerves.

“I didn’t want to give birth to our child scared and worried,” she says.

To show their gratitude to the hospital staff who were working that evening, Ortiz and her husband even handed out treats like candy, lip balm, lotions, and food and drinks.

Luckily, their efforts to make the experience as stress-free as possible really paid off.

“We went to the hospital in great spirits,” Ortiz remembers. “My nervousness at this point was more about ‘wearing your costume’ than the actual birth.”

She adds: “It ended up being one of the most fun days I’ve had in my entire life.”

Of course, when it really came time to get down to business, Ortiz slipped out of her costume and into her hospital gown — and despite her fears, she gave birth to her daughter Emilia in about eight minutes on November 1, 2023.

A short time later, the new mother said that she had posted photos of the costumed couple on her TikTok, but that they didn’t make much of an impression at the time.

However, when a new group of nurses arrived and told them they were “famous,” she initially thought that perhaps they had suddenly gone viral. “I thought it was the Thor thing,” she says, but instead the nurses told her, “You’re famous as the first mother to deliver the baby in eight minutes.”

Now, a year later, Ortiz says she never imagined her story would have such an impact, but it was nice to touch so many “people’s hearts.”

The mother says she received “a lot of comments” from people who were nervous about the birth, telling her things like: “You don’t know how much I needed this.” “I was so worried and now I’m fine a little better.” ”

“It makes me happy that I can help some people,” she adds.

What they’re up to this year: Well, the focus right now is on Emilia’s upcoming birthday party, which will take place over the weekend. The theme is inspired by The Princess BrideAnd to answer a question on all of our minds: Yes, Ortiz answers, “We’re all going to dress up.”