A British woman had an unexpected experience during a family vacation in Canada when she discovered she was pregnant after giving birth while using the toilet.
Helen and Michael Green, both 45, embarked on a ten-day road trip in Toronto, Canada, starting on May 21, with their six-year-old daughter, Darcy, for some much-needed relaxation.
However, an unforeseen event occurred early in the trip when Helen experienced stomach pains at night and hurried to the bathroom.
To her amazement, Helen, from Bristol, felt an overwhelming ‘urge to push’ and suddenly found herself looking at a newborn baby.
This unexpected birth was the result of a cryptic pregnancy, a condition where a person is unaware of their pregnancy until the later stages or during labor.
Helen had continued to have regular menstrual cycles, giving her no indication that she was expecting a child.
“This was such a huge huge shock, and also such a lovely surprise,” Helen expressed. “She just came along and it feels like she’s always been with us.
“Everything feels complete now, she has made us all so happy. Even the doctors at the hospital were really surprised.
“I had no idea at all that I was pregnant, everything seemed completely normal.”
Recounting the experience in the bathroom, Helen said: “I had no idea what was happening, my body just took over.
“After two massive pushes there was a baby so I picked her up out of the loo and held her in my arms.”
Michael was roused by the sound of their new daughter, Olivia, crying, initially thinking it was noise from the adjacent room.
He was understandably taken aback upon discovering his wife in the bathroom with their newborn.
“I was in such a daze, we could hardly work out what was going on,” Michael remembered. “We didn’t know if the baby was well or whether it was full term. We didn’t even check to see whether it was a boy or a girl – a paramedic told us.
“In the hospital they kept asking me about the pregnancy and I couldn’t answer them, I just kept saying ‘I don’t know.'”
The couple informed friends and family with messages saying, ‘don’t worry but Helen is in hospital’, accompanied by a photo of Darcy holding baby Olivia.
While the surprise was enormous, Olivia was warmly welcomed as a new member of the family!