EDITOR’S NOTE: Although The Daily has a policy that prohibits using anonymous sources in most circumstances, editors decided it would be appropriate to grant anonymity to a freshman who gave birth in the dorms Thursday in order to protect the young woman’s privacy.

An hour and a half of labor pains was all the warning one University College freshman received before she gave birth to her baby in Walker Tower Thursday morning.

The mother, who asked to remain anonymous, said she did not know she was pregnant until she was delivering her baby in the resident’s shared suite bathroom. She said there were no noticeable changes in her weight or her menstrual cycle that would indicate she was pregnant.

At around 4:10 a.m. Thursday, the mother woke in pain.

Her roommate said she woke when she heard the mother’s painful gasps. The mother went to the bathroom, where she stayed alone until about 5:30 a.m., when the roommate went into the bathroom and discovered the mother giving birth.

“The child wasn’t completely born when I walked in,” the roommate said.

The roommate said the baby was born at 5:38 a.m. After unwrapping the umbilical cord from around the baby’s neck and clearing its throat, the roommate said she handed the newborn to its mother and called 9-1-1. The paramedics arrived by 6 a.m.

“It took, I thought, way too long for the paramedics to get here,” the roommate said.

The roommate said though they made a lot of noise, no other residents from the hall came to see what was going on. She said the resident adviser did not know anything was happening until the mother and her baby were wheeled out on a stretcher to the ambulance.

The mother, her baby and the roommate were taken to Norman Regional Hospital, where the roommate stayed with the mother until her family arrived.

The roommate plans to become an obstetrician physician’s assistant, and said the experience, though scary, helped her realize she has a passion for the work.

“I had never experienced anything like that before,” she said. “It just confirmed that was what I want to do.”

Her first patient said she supports her roommate’s decision to pursue a career as a physician’s assistant.

“I think she’d be great at it,” the mother said.

The mother and baby are at home with the girl’s family. The mother said she is unsure of her plans for the remainder of the semester.