A woman nearing the end of her pregnancy had a brief, but terrifying, moment when she spotted blood pooling on her kitchen floor.
With her due date imminent, she feared the worst—until she realized the cause had nothing to do with her pregnancy.
Red Alert
The original poster (OP), aka user acatnamedsilverly, shared her alarming experience in a Reddit post this week, explaining that she had been baking cookies when she accidentally kicked the pedal of a trash bin.
Feeling only minor pain, she continued baking, unaware of what had happened to her foot.
About 10 minutes later, she noticed a red liquid spreading across the floor and assumed she had spilled tomato sauce. When she looked closer, she realized it was blood—but had no idea where it was coming from.
"So, I yell out to my poor husband, who walks into a room where it looks like someone has been murdered and he is freaking out cause I can't tell him where the blood is coming from," the OP said.
The couple was moments away from calling the hospital when she discovered the true source: Her toenail had been ripped off.
'Good news'
"I might be losing mine," she admitted, referring to her toenail, before adding, "But in good news, I now have chocolate chip cookies."
The reaction from other Reddit users ranged from sympathy to shared experiences. As one user commented, "Lost a big toenail to the bottom of a door once (long story), can confirm they bleed a lot.
"Mine hurt though—lucky you! And congratulations on the baby!"
A supportive user agreed that, "Nail injuries suck, I've ripped two or three big toe nails off and they bleed a ton."
Another user quipped that, "40 weeks is a long time to wait for the happy event. It must feel like a maternity."
According to Cleveland Clinic, toenails are highly sensitive and injuries to the nailbed can lead to excessive bleeding. While most stubbed toes are not serious, some can result in fractures or soft tissue damage.
Signs of a more severe injury include intense pain, swelling and difficulty walking. If a nail is partially or fully detached, medical professionals advise keeping the area clean to prevent infection.
Despite the initial scare, the woman found humor in the situation. Many commentators encouraged her to embrace laughter, a reaction supported by relationship experts.
A Focus on the Family article raises the importance of humor in stressful situations, noting that laughter helps couples bond and reduces tension.
While the experience was far from what she expected in the final stretch of pregnancy, the woman reassured readers that she and her baby were fine.
"It just turned out to be a very dramatic way to lose a toenail," the OP joked.
Newsweek has contacted acatnamedsilverly for comment via Reddit.
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