My daughter is the light of my life, but her birth could have killed me. I didn’t have an epidural, because thanks to years of writing Greys Anatomy, I was more fearful of complications than of labor pain.

My labor was considered normal, which is to say, I paced, doubled over, and vomited from agonizing pain every few minutes for 22 hours, then pushed with my entire body for four more hours. And still, I required a vacuum assist to get the baby out because her head was stuck on my pelvis. When my daughter finally emerged, healthy, I wept with relief, but my face was dry because I was too dehydrated to produce tears. That was the moment it quickly went from normal to terrifying as blood started pouring from my body and pooling on the hospital floor.

I didn’t bleed to death because the medical team had easy access to misoprostol—a drug that has now been taken off emergency carts in Louisiana because, although it’s incredibly effective at stopping post-partum hemorrhaging, it can also be used to induce abortion. I also required packing with sponges and gauze and nine stitches to stop the bleeding.

It took me months to fully recover from childbirth, partly because of blood loss, and partly because one of the sponges was forgotten inside of me. If you’re a Grey’s fan, you know that a left-behind sponge can lead to serious infection, illness, and death. I was lucky that I could feel that something was off and that the doctors believed me, searched, and found the rotting sponge while antibiotics could still treat the infection.

I’m telling you the grisly details of my child’s birth because women usually don’t. The same way that our culture has taught us to whisper about our periods and hide our tampons—despite the fact that our menstrual cycles perpetuate our species—new mothers are culturally guided to hide the more brutal details of childbirth. Our society focuses on beautiful, giggling babies. It ignores, through culturally perpetuated silence, the physical and emotional wounds that accompany the experience of pregnancy, miscarriage, labor, birth, and motherhood.

I believe it’s partly because of this silence—because we are made to feel that we are somehow betraying our breathtaking, beloved babies when we name the realities that lead to and accompany their existence—that we have allowed laws to be passed in the United States of America that force women to carry unwanted pregnancies to term. I believe it’s imperative that women start talking about what the term “reproductive rights” actually means—because it’s the only way to drive home the reality of how important it is that we all vote in this election.

At the height of X’s popularity (really, back when it was still Twitter), it seemed like we couldn’t get through a week without the advent of some new viral, internet-friendly animal, from the Cincinnati Zoo’s Fiona the Hippo (she takes showers, guys!) to Koko, arguably the world’s most iconic gorilla. Unfortunately, genuinely fun animal content has really taken a hit online lately, which might explain why the arrival of Thai pygmy hippo Moo Deng has captivated the world. Below, find everything you need to know about Moo Deng, the girl we all wish we could be.

Who is Moo Deng?

Moo Deng, whose name translates to “bouncy pork” in Thai, is a two-month-old pygmy hippopotamus who has been stealing hearts ever since she was born on July 10, 2024. She’s one of seven babies born to proud hippo parents Jona and Tony, and at the risk of offending her siblings, who can definitely read and have Vogue web subscriptions, she’s pretty clearly the star of the show: She’s become a Utah Jazz meme and even inspired a Sephora Thailand campaign urging shoppers to “wear your blush like a baby hippo.” What greater honor could there be for a baby animal?

Where does Moo Deng live?

Moo Deng’s current residence is Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand, which has become overrun with visitors hoping to get a glimpse at the baby hippo. According to a social media post from the zoo, visitors are now being limited to five-minute windows of hang time with Moo Deng, in part due to instances of people throwing objects or pouring water on her. As zoo director Narongwit Chodcho told a local paper: “These behaviors are not only cruel but also dangerous. We must protect these animals and ensure that they have a safe and comfortable environment.” (It’s worth noting that Moo Deng’s breed of pygmy hippo is an endangered species, with only about 2,000 of them left in the wild.)

Why has Moo Deng become such a viral sensation?

Moo Deng’s cuteness speaks for itself—she’s a curvy, shiny, wet-eyed glamour queen—and online, her loyal followers have devotedly posted pictures of the hippo doing everything from bathing to eating to seemingly screaming into the void. In the span of about a week, she’s become an icon for our addled times.