Tennessee fan says win over Alabama caused her to go into labor
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT/Gray News) - A woman in Tennessee says last weekend’s thrilling game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Alabama Crimson Tide caused her to go into labor.
Vols fan Jordan Johnson said she watched her team beat Alabama from her home in Chattanooga and, at 38 weeks pregnant, began to feel contractions but wasn’t focused on them enough to know what was happening.
“I was like, I don’t know what’s happening with my body right now. I’m sitting here on the couch watching this game,” Johnson said.
It didn’t set in until she went to bed that night and the adrenaline from the game wore off, but she knew her daughter was on the way.
WVLT reports at 38 weeks, it’s not uncommon to go into labor, but the Chattanooga native said she believes it was her screaming, jumping and cheering during the game that induced labor that night.
“I think me jumping up and down picked things up. They say that you can walk and induce contractions to get things going, but I was clearly jumping up and down and doing a bit more than walking,” said Johnson.
A few hours after midnight, Johnson gave birth to her third child, a daughter named Heidi Chase. A middle name that endured a lot of debate but ultimately, Johnson decided to give Heidi the middle name of Chase after Tennessee kicker Chase McGrath, who made the game’s winning field goal.
“When we put together Heidi Chase, we loved it, but it was going to be between that and Heidi Jean which was my grandmother’s middle name. And we loved them both so much we couldn’t decide. So at about day two in the hospital, we put both names in a cup and shook them up, and it came down to the last minute, and Chase won again,” said Johnson.
McGrath saw Johnson’s story and congratulated her on social media while acknowledging her daughter’s name.
Tennessee football passion runs deep in the family. In 2018, Neyland Stadium was where Johnson got engaged to her husband.
With the addition of Heidi Chase, Johnson said the Vols fandom would only grow stronger.
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