Going on vacation is fun, in part because it’s signing up for the unknown. Sure you have a rough plan, but ultimately the experience is to break out of your normal workaday routine and embrace the spontaneous. One British family got more of a thrill than they bargained for, however, after their 10-day trip to Toronto, Canada, with their 6-year-old daughter resulted in the mom giving birth on her hotel room toilet, having no idea she was pregnant.
The now mom of three Helen Green told SWNS that with her first two children, her bump was big and noticeable. This time around was different, however. After she awoke with stomach issues in the middle of the night at her hotel in May, she suddenly felt the familiar urge to push and looked down and saw a baby.
“I had no idea what was happening, my body just took over,” she explained to SWNS. “After two massive pushes, there was a baby, so I picked her up out of the loo and held her in my arms.”
“This was such a huge huge shock, and also such a lovely surprise,” the mom told the outlet. “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. I worked, exercised, wore the same clothes and ate the same food as usual.”
Green experienced what is commonly known as a cryptic pregnancy. The medical phenomenon can happen to anyone who can bear children, according to the Cleveland Clinic, but people who recently gave birth, have polycystic ovarian syndrome, use birth control, or are in perimenopause are the most likely to experience it. Studies suggest that 1 in 475 pregnancies aren’t discovered until 20 weeks of gestation, while 1 in 2,500 go unnoticed until delivery, the clinic notes.
Green was clearly the latter. After being taken to the hospital and answering countless questions she didn’t really have the answers to, doctors assessed the family’s surprise addition. Her sweet little girl, whom they named Olivia, was born at 8 lbs., 3 oz. and was completely healthy.
The New York Post reported that Green, who also has an 18-year-old son, was trying for a third baby, but after experiencing no symptoms of pregnancy and having multiple miscarriages, she thought she might be perimenopausal.
The most challenging part? Getting everyone out of Canada.
“Registering her birth was a nightmare. All we had were discharge papers from hospital,” Green explained, per SWNS. “There was confusion over whether she was a home birth because she was born in a hotel, or a hospital birth because the placenta was delivered in a hospital.”
They were eventually able to fly home on June 25, and they spent about $12,00 more than they expected, thanks to the $5,400 hospital fees and over $2,700 in hotels. However, the family is trying to stay positive.
“Ultimately, we got an extended holiday and had a really really special time together,” Helen shared. “It was very hard not knowing how long we would be there, and very stressful on week days chasing the birth certificate and passport, but great at the weekends when all the offices were closed and there was nothing we could do about it.”
