Little Rock, Arkansas – A few days ago, a woman from Arkansas who was staying in a motel as she awaited help from her tornado insurance received a surprising guest.
Tikira Wallace, whose mother’s apartment was damaged by the tornado on March 31, has been adjusting to her new normal in a Little Rock hotel.
especially after she suddenly gave birth to her son Eiress on April 23rd at the age of 39 weeks.
“The apartment complex itself is bad. It tore people’s vehicles up, it tore a lot of it up. It did some damage,” Mother, Tikira Wallace said.
The Red Cross booked a hotel room for Wallace and her family just two days after the tornado.
“They got me a whole bunch of stuff. They’ve been very helpful,” Wallace explained.
Wallace outlined how she spent a short time in the hospital on April 23 but was later released because it wasn’t anticipated that she would give birth on that day.
When she got back to the hotel, the pain started, and she gave birth.
“Overall experience. It was crazy. I have a crazy story to tell my son… hey Mom where was I born? Son, you were born in a hotel,” she described.
Wallace also did so without any pain medication.
“It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. But it didn’t feel good,” she said.
Wallace claimed that if it weren’t for her new friend Shay Sockwell, who was also staying in the hotel due to the tornado, she is unsure of how things would have turned out.
“I was like, can you please not leave me and she held my hands and she kept me calm the whole time,” she added.
In the end, Sockwell delivered baby Eiress with the aid of paramedics.
“The last thing I wanted was for it to be something wrong. So my whole goal was to stay calm. We’re gonna get this baby out of here and everything was gonna be good,” Sockwell explained.
Eiress was born after only 4 pushes.
“I didn’t know what I was doing or how I was gonna get it done. But it got done,” Wallace said.
Wallace and Sockwell now refer to one another as family.
“I’m the god mom. So yes, it’s my baby too,” Sockwell said.
Every day in the hotel, they are becoming closer.
“Once all this is over and we do get placed I’m still gonna stay in contact and we got this family stuck together we can’t separate,” she said.
“I have the perfect support system. I have everything that I need. I just feel like he’s a blessing,” Wallace said.
Wallace expressed excitement about creating memories with her son in a more long-term setting.
“I’m just ready to begin life again with my baby,” she added.
Red Cross nurses have been monitoring the new mother and child to make sure everyone is well and has what they need.
Call 1-800 Red Cross if you need assistance after being affected by the tornado.