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Pregnant mom tries dancing to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' to induce labor at 40 weeks

Forty weeks pregnant, Bonnie Northsea was ready to meet her baby — and she wanted to have a little fun. So the Gainesville, Florida mom put on a video to learn the steps to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and got moving.
/ Source: TODAY

Forty weeks pregnant, Bonnie Northsea was ready to meet her baby — and she wanted to have a little fun. So the Gainesville, Florida mom put on a video to learn the steps to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and got moving.

Little did she know, she'd become a viral sensation.

"I had no idea this would happen," she told TODAY.com, of the video that's since taken off online, in which the very pregnant mom can be seen getting down with some serious choreography. "It was just something funny that I did. I’m ready for the baby to come out, and somebody told me to exercise a little bit. I’ve always been a huge Michael Jackson fan!"

It didn't take much practice for her to pick up the moves. "This is like the second time I ran through it," she said. "Maybe my other career, if I could go back in time, would be to be a dancer!"

Though she nailed the routine, the video didn't have its desired effect — she's now five days past her due date.

"It didn't work, apparently," she laughed, "so I'm trying to think of what else to do."

The situation is new to the couple, whose 3-year-old son, Behr, was born a day early.

"I assumed this baby would be early or right on time, but now I'm five days overdue and I don't feel like it's even close," she said. The couple is planning to have an at-home water birth, but are only legally permitted to do so until Northsea is 42 weeks pregnant — after which she must deliver in a hospital.

"I still have about a week or so until I’m down to the wire," she said. "I’m going to start dancing more, maybe, when I get to that point. I don’t know what else to do!"

Her "Thriller" video, which she originally posted just to entertain her own Facebook friends, has also served as a pick-me-up around the house. Northsea's husband was diagnosed with testicular cancer about a month ago and is undergoing chemotherapy treatments, and the family has been struggling financially.

"It’s been hard lately," she said. "But this video has helped. It’s lightened the mood."

She says her husband's diagnosis has actually brought them closer together. "Now we just live day by day, and we’ve learned to treasure the things that are really important in life."

Despite a handful of negative comments on YouTube, most people have been very supportive of her turn as video star. "The midwives think it’s hilarious," she said. "They think it’s awesome. It’s exercise — it’s actually good for the baby and for me.

This article was originally published Feb. 16, 2015 at 4:53 p.m. ET.