Mom Unexpectedly Gives Birth in the Bathroom with Help from Her 2-Year-Old Son

“At one point, when I was looking down, he put his little hand under my chin and lifted my face up to look him in the eye,” mom Shannen Krahn, 31, tells PEOPLE

When a middle school teacher unexpectedly delivered her baby girl in the bathroom of her Wisconsin home last month, her toddler was by her side, offering sweet encouragement.

“At one point, when I was looking down, he put his little hand under my chin and lifted my face up to look him in the eye,” mom Shannen Krahn, 31, tells PEOPLE of her son Max.

“Focusing on him kept my brain away from the pain,” says Krahn, though she hopes the experience doesn’t have a negative impact on her son, who turned 2 earlier this month.

The birthing experience was a surprising, but happy ending to an easy pregnancy.

Krahn, a math teacher, was almost 39 weeks pregnant with daughter Brooklynn Suzanne, her second child, when she finished work for the day on Sept. 15.

As she was leaving school she started to feel a bit of “discomfort,” but the pain was inconsistent and unlike the birthing pains she’d experienced with Max.

The expectant mom told her husband Mitch, a supervisor at a chemical manufacturing company, to head out for his night shift and that she’d keep him updated if she felt like she needed to go to the hospital.

“I didn’t realize how fast it was going to progress,” she says.

After she got to their house near Madison, she took a shower and realized her contractions were picking up.

As she gave her son a bath she started timing her contractions. Then she called her husband of six years. Even though she wasn’t feeling “super worried,” she told Mitch, 33, that he needed to come home so they could go to the hospital.

Knowing he’d arrive in 45 minutes, Krahn then called Mitch’s cousin, who planned on watching Max while they were away.

As she waited for the other adults to arrive, she headed to the bedroom with her toddler to grab her bathroom bag and her pillow. She was inside the bathroom when a “huge contraction” hit and her water broke. For once, the scene was just like what’s portrayed in the movies.

“It was like a water balloon dropping on the floor,” she recalls. “It was crazy.”

With Max watching from atop the bed, his mom took a few minutes to recover from the shock. At that point, her contractions were constant. Krahn says her 2-year-old son kept patting her arm and saying “Mama” from the bed.

“Yep, we’re good. Mama’s good,” she told her son as she urged him to stay where he was. “We’re good. We got this.”

She made it to the bathroom and her young son followed her inside.

“I got myself down on my hands and knees,” says Krahn, who remembers thinking, “I’m not getting out of this bathroom without having this baby.”

She was unable to call for help because she’d left her phone in the kitchen. In fact, as it rang the background, she pushed three times and gave birth to her daughter.

Through it all, Max was there, calling her name and gently touching her arm. He said, “Oh, baby,” when Brooklynn emerged.

“I kind of got her up on my chest and she let out a good cry,” says Krahn of those initial minutes after giving birth. “That was just a huge weight off the shoulders.”

Within five minutes, she heard Mitch open the door with a confused, “Hello?” Initially, he didn’t know where his pregnant wife and son had disappeared to.

“We made eye contact,” says Krahn, who remembers telling her husband, “Hi, we have a baby.”

The shock quickly wore off for both parents. The new mom was transported to the hospital by ambulance, while Max stayed home with Mitch’s cousin.

After Krahn and her newborn were checked out, the couple received encouraging news. Their daughter — who got her middle name from Krahn’s late grandmother — weighed a healthy 7 lbs., 4 oz. at birth. Within 24 hours, the mother and baby were discharged.

Weeks later, Max is still enthralled by his new sister.

“He calls her, ‘My baby,’ ” says the proud mom, who adds that her son loves to help hold baby Brooklynn and watch during baths and feedings. “He wants to know where she is all the time.”

One of the proud mom’s favorite moments is when Max sits between her legs, leaning on a pillow, while she nurses Brooklynn in a recliner.

“We’re just sitting there, snuggling, the three of us,” says Krahn. “Like they say, your love doesn’t divide when you have more kids. It just multiplies.”

“At one point, when I was looking down, he put his little hand under my chin and lifted my face up to look him in the eye,” mom Shannen Krahn, 31, tells PEOPLE

When a middle school teacher unexpectedly delivered her baby girl in the bathroom of her Wisconsin home last month, her toddler was by her side, offering sweet encouragement.

“At one point, when I was looking down, he put his little hand under my chin and lifted my face up to look him in the eye,” mom Shannen Krahn, 31, tells PEOPLE of her son Max.

“Focusing on him kept my brain away from the pain,” says Krahn, though she hopes the experience doesn’t have a negative impact on her son, who turned 2 earlier this month.

The birthing experience was a surprising, but happy ending to an easy pregnancy.

Krahn, a math teacher, was almost 39 weeks pregnant with daughter Brooklynn Suzanne, her second child, when she finished work for the day on Sept. 15.

As she was leaving school she started to feel a bit of “discomfort,” but the pain was inconsistent and unlike the birthing pains she’d experienced with Max.

The expectant mom told her husband Mitch, a supervisor at a chemical manufacturing company, to head out for his night shift and that she’d keep him updated if she felt like she needed to go to the hospital.

“I didn’t realize how fast it was going to progress,” she says.

After she got to their house near Madison, she took a shower and realized her contractions were picking up.

As she gave her son a bath she started timing her contractions. Then she called her husband of six years. Even though she wasn’t feeling “super worried,” she told Mitch, 33, that he needed to come home so they could go to the hospital.

Knowing he’d arrive in 45 minutes, Krahn then called Mitch’s cousin, who planned on watching Max while they were away.

As she waited for the other adults to arrive, she headed to the bedroom with her toddler to grab her bathroom bag and her pillow. She was inside the bathroom when a “huge contraction” hit and her water broke. For once, the scene was just like what’s portrayed in the movies.

“It was like a water balloon dropping on the floor,” she recalls. “It was crazy.”

With Max watching from atop the bed, his mom took a few minutes to recover from the shock. At that point, her contractions were constant. Krahn says her 2-year-old son kept patting her arm and saying “Mama” from the bed.

“Yep, we’re good. Mama’s good,” she told her son as she urged him to stay where he was. “We’re good. We got this.”

She made it to the bathroom and her young son followed her inside.

“I got myself down on my hands and knees,” says Krahn, who remembers thinking, “I’m not getting out of this bathroom without having this baby.”

She was unable to call for help because she’d left her phone in the kitchen. In fact, as it rang the background, she pushed three times and gave birth to her daughter.

Through it all, Max was there, calling her name and gently touching her arm. He said, “Oh, baby,” when Brooklynn emerged.

“I kind of got her up on my chest and she let out a good cry,” says Krahn of those initial minutes after giving birth. “That was just a huge weight off the shoulders.”

Within five minutes, she heard Mitch open the door with a confused, “Hello?” Initially, he didn’t know where his pregnant wife and son had disappeared to.

“We made eye contact,” says Krahn, who remembers telling her husband, “Hi, we have a baby.”

The shock quickly wore off for both parents. The new mom was transported to the hospital by ambulance, while Max stayed home with Mitch’s cousin.

After Krahn and her newborn were checked out, the couple received encouraging news. Their daughter — who got her middle name from Krahn’s late grandmother — weighed a healthy 7 lbs., 4 oz. at birth. Within 24 hours, the mother and baby were discharged.

Weeks later, Max is still enthralled by his new sister.

“He calls her, ‘My baby,’ ” says the proud mom, who adds that her son loves to help hold baby Brooklynn and watch during baths and feedings. “He wants to know where she is all the time.”

One of the proud mom’s favorite moments is when Max sits between her legs, leaning on a pillow, while she nurses Brooklynn in a recliner.

“We’re just sitting there, snuggling, the three of us,” says Krahn. “Like they say, your love doesn’t divide when you have more kids. It just multiplies.”