Hairspray actress Sarah Francis Jones received the surprise of a lifetime when she went into labor during Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour Concert at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California Sept. 4.
During an interview with KTLA5, Jones revealed that she went into labor right after Queen Bey’s mute challenge, a segment in the show where the Grammy Award-winning singer and her dancers freeze on stage and challenge everyone in the stadium to be silent.
“Everybody went mute. L.A. did very well at the Monday birthday show and then I started having contractions,” the happy mom told KTLA5 reporter Omar Lewis while holding her newborn baby girl in the hospital.
The intense contractions caught Jones off guard as her precious baby girl wasn’t due for another week.
“I thought maybe they were Braxton Hicks,” the Hollywood star said. Braxton Hicks or false labor pains are contractions of the uterus that typically occur during the second or third trimester. According to the American Pregnancy Association, Braxton Hicks are also called “practice contractions” because they prepare a woman’s body for labor.
At first, Jones didn’t think anything of her contractions. She was too busy dancing along to Beyoncé. But as her labor pains progressed, she started to get a little worried. “I said, ‘Something’s happening,’ usually I like to dance at the concert. I was like, ‘OK, I need to sit down for a second.’”
The Honey star’s husband, Marcel Spears, tried to keep the first-time momma calm and cool as she powered through her contractions. He began timing her contractions and noticed that they were 20 to 30 minutes apart. Jones’ labor pains intensified as soon as Beyoncé launched into her performance of “Virgo’s Groove.”
“By the time we got to the car in the parking lot, it was full-on intense and I was just like, Okay, it’s happening now. Is happening right now,” Spears said. Well, the song was fitting for the couple’s precious bundle of joy. Jones gave birth to a healthy baby girl on Sept. 5, one day after Beyonce’s birthday. The couple shared a few videos of the Renaissance-induced delivery on Instagram.
Reflecting on the big moment, Spears said he was happy that they managed to record their daughter’s unexpected birth. “If we didn’t record it, I don’t think anybody would believe it,” he added. “It’s just one of those things that it’s so convenient you’re like ‘Nah that’s not happening,’ but the baby definitely pulled through.”
The proud parents named their daughter Nola after Spears’ hometown. As for middle names, the pair said they’re open to giving their baby girl a middle name in honor of Queen Bey’s musical legacy.
Congrats to Jones and Spears!
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