Giving birth is already a pretty memorable experience, but one mum decided to make the occasion even more unforgettable by turning up to hospital dressed as Thor.

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Laura Ortiz, an artist, was preparing to welcome her first child when she spotted an opportunity to combine two major occasions in her life.

After experiencing complications during her pregnancy, doctors recommended that she undergo an induced labour.

But when Ortiz realised she could schedule the procedure for Halloween, she came up with a rather unusual plan.

Instead of arriving at hospital in ordinary clothes, she decided to dress as ‘Lazy Thor’, the struggling version of the Marvel superhero from Avengers: Endgame, and convinced her husband, Reid Halvorson, to join in.

Her husband opted for a Thor-inspired outfit from the 2022 film Thor: Love and Thunder, meaning the couple arrived at Colorado’s Skyridge Medical Center on October 31, 2023, looking more like they were attending a fancy dress party than preparing to become parents.

However, there was a heartfelt reason behind their decision.

Ortiz had experienced gestational diabetes and preeclampsia during her pregnancy, leaving her understandably nervous about giving birth.

Speaking to PEOPLE, she explained how the idea came about.

“I went to the calendar and I saw we could go in on Halloween,” Ortiz recalls. “And I’ve always loved Halloween. It’s one of my favorite holidays. I kind of thought, ‘Well, maybe I’ll convince my husband to dress up with me and be Thor from the different movies.’ ”

For Ortiz, the costumes weren’t simply about getting a few laughs from the hospital staff.

They were also a way of making an intimidating experience feel a little less frightening.

“I didn’t want to bring our kid into the world feeling anxious and worried,” she says.

And the couple didn’t stop at dressing up.

They brought Halloween celebrations into the hospital, handing out sweets, lip balm, lotions, food and drinks to the medical staff working that evening.

They even decorated Ortiz’s hospital room to create a more festive atmosphere.

“We went into the hospital with the vibes going strong,” Ortiz remembers. “My nerves were more about ‘Wear your costume’ at that point than actually giving birth.”

She adds, “it ended up being one of the most fun days I’ve had in my whole life.”

Of course, when the moment finally arrived, Ortiz swapped her superhero outfit for a hospital gown.

And while the couple had originally checked in on Halloween, their daughter Emilia made her arrival on November 1, 2023.

Remarkably, Ortiz delivered her baby in approximately eight minutes.

The speedy birth even earned her a little recognition among the hospital’s nursing staff.

When a new group of nurses arrived and told Ortiz she was famous, she initially assumed word had spread about the couple’s unusual Halloween outfits.

“I thought it was because of the Thor thing,” she says, but instead the nurses told her, “You’re famous [as] the first-time mom who pushed the baby out in eight minutes.’ ”

Almost a year later, Ortiz decided to revisit the experience by sharing footage on TikTok on October 27, 2024.

The video showed the couple arriving in their costumes, distributing Halloween treats and celebrating in the hospital before revealing a photograph of the proud new parents with baby Emilia.

This time, the footage took off, attracting more than 3.3 million views.

But beyond the entertainment value, Ortiz discovered that her experience had resonated with other expectant mothers.

Some viewers contacted her to explain how watching the couple approach childbirth with humour had helped ease their own worries.

The mum says she’s “gotten a lot of commenters” from people feeling nervous about giving birth, who told her things like, “‘You don’t know how much I needed this.’ ‘I’ve been so anxious, and now I feel a little better.’ “

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

Featured image credit: TikTok/@lauraortizch (screenshot)