Woman finds out she was pregnant after giving birth at home

By George Mathias and Harrison Moore via SWNS

A woman found out she was pregnant as she gave birth - after multiple tests were negative.

Toni Brown, 42, went through labor at home in Stanstead Mountfitchet, Essex after no one realized she was pregnant, she says.

The mom-of-three claims both over-the-counter pregnancy tests and medics missed that she was with child.

Toni, who works as a food and beverage supervisor, originally thought she was suffering from a genetic thyroid problem.

But examinations and blood tests came back negative, as did multiple pregnancy tests.

Toni then gave birth to baby Theo late last month, with the baby several weeks premature at 34 weeks old.

Mom and baby are now doing well.

Toni said: "I was constantly in pain after the original symptoms started.

"I felt like I was bloated - it was a lump in my stomach that wouldn't go away. I did pregnancy tests but they were all negative.

"That's why I think when I went to the GP.

"I changed my diet in the hope it would fix the problem - but the lump in my stomach was still really painful.

"In the end they misdiagnosed me with fecal impaction and gave me laxatives."

Toni admitted herself to The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow last week because she was in so much pain.

Her sister drove her to A&E in the hope that doctors would run further tests to identify the issue.

But after a long wait and a brief examination Toni was sent home after having an enema - an injection to cause the intestines to empty.

That evening, Toni's husband, Gary Brown, 41, heard her screaming in the bathroom.

He opened the door, and his wife was sprawled across the tiles covered in blood and placenta, with a baby boy lying next to her.

Instead of finally being able to go to the toilet, she'd gone into labor and had Theo.

Gary, an air conditioning installation engineer, said the ordeal was "traumatizing" and that he is still not over the shock of fathering a third child in these circumstances.

He said: "I had to scoop Theo up and wrap him in a towel. I was so taken aback at what was happening.

"I called the ambulance who took Theo to hospital and it turned out he was born six weeks early. He was very premature at three pounds and seven ounces.

"Neither me, Toni or any of the doctors we saw at the GP or the hospital had any idea she was pregnant.

"Her stomach was slightly raised but we thought it was just swelling from her stomach problems.

"Thankfully Theo is doing well now and he is out of the incubator. There have been no complications and we expect to have him home in a week.

"But I can't get my head around how this was missed and how dangerous this could have been. All she needed was a scan.

"Nonetheless, we love Theo very much, and he's part of our family now."

Sharon McNally, chief nurse and deputy chief executive at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, said: “Congratulations to Ms. Brown on the birth of her baby.

“We are unable to comment on individual cases and encourage Ms. Brown to contact our patient experience team for further support.”