Where were you hiding?!

I didn’t know I was pregnant, but one push and out she popped!

Istumbled out of bed, rubbed my eyes and went to get my little boy, Jackson, 11 months, out of his cot.

It was still dark outside, but he was already wide awake and smiling, which made up for the early start.

I carried him to the kitchen to warm his milk.

But as I waited next to the microwave, I felt a crippling pain in my tummy. I almost doubled over. It’d come from nowhere. It was a Sunday morning and my husband Chris, 30, had just left for band practice – his hobby was drumming.

He was due to be out all day, so I didn’t bother him.

I took some painkillers and sat on the sofa as Jackson played with his toys.

Half an hour later, I felt much better, so I got dressed.

When Chris got home for dinnertime, I managed to eat but, just after, the pain in my stomach returned – now worse than ever. I took more painkillers, baffled as to the cause. ‘I think I must have eaten something dodgy,’ I complained to Chris. ‘But you haven’t thrown up?’ he asked. He was right, but I couldn’t think of any other explanation. Heading to bed around 10pm, I couldn’t sleep. Pretty soon, I was in agony, and knew I needed to see a doctor. We called NHS Direct, but there was up to a four-hour wait for a doctor to call us back.

Too long.

So we got Jackson out of bed and drove to A&E at Forth Valley Royal Hospital.

By the time we got there, it was nearly 2am.

Luckily, I was quickly seen by a doctor – but they were stumped about what was wrong.

They ran some blood tests and gave me some morphine for the pain.

But as I lay in an A&E cubicle, waiting for a bed, the pain wasn’t easing.

In fact, it was more intense than ever.

‘I feel like I need to push, but I don’t know why,’ I said to Chris. Chris told a nurse, who said I should have a urine test. Moments later, Chris carried Jackson off, and tried calling his mum Carol, 46. I only had the nurses around me for support. About to take my test, a nurse examined me down below. ‘We’ve got to get you to Resus, now!’ she said. I was panicked as another urge to push hit...and it suddenly became crystal clear what was causing all the pain. ‘Oh my God, I’m having a baby!’ I shrieked. I didn’t have time to think. After just one big push, my baby was delivered there and then in the hospital corridor! ‘She’s blue,’ a voice yelled as the babe was whisked away for tests. I must have blanked out for a couple of minutes as I was whisked to the Maternity ward – where the midwives were stumped because I had no maternity notes or scans. Next thing I remember was being passed a beautiful baby girl. I could hardly believe my eyes. The nurses and doctors around me

It suddenly became clear what was causing all the pain

could hardly believe it, either.

The baby weighed 7lb 7oz, which likely meant that she was born full term.

A nurse was sent to break the news to Chris, who was still with Jackson on the other side of the hospital.

‘Congratulations, you have a wee girl!’ she told him.

The nurse had to reach out to catch him as he nearly passed out!

He rushed to see me, and to meet his new daughter.

‘I can’t believe it!’ he cried.

‘Neither can I,’ I said.

I’d seen stories about women who didn’t know they were pregnant until they were in labour, and I always thought they must have been telling fibs – but now it had happened to me!

Yes, I had a little bit of a belly, but I thought I was just still carrying some baby weight after having Jackson.

I certainly didn’t have a big bump, like normal.

I also didn’t feel nauseous or particularly tired at any point, and I never felt the baby kicking like I had with Jackson.

I suddenly felt a rush of guilt as I realised I hadn’t been behaving like a pregnant woman at all.

I’d been to a wedding where I enjoyed a few drinks, and a few weeks before the birth we’d moved house and I’d been carrying heavy boxes.

Thankfully our little girl was healthy.

At no point was there ever any sign that I was expecting.

And I thought I had no reason to worry that I was because I’d been taking the Pill since Jackson was just 6 weeks old. But I’d swapped to a different brand two weeks after that, and it must have been then that I conceived. It was hard to take it all in. Hours after our baby was born, we told family – they thought we were having them on! The very next day, we were allowed to bring her home. It felt so surreal. With Jackson, I’d had nine months to prepare, but this time I’d had no time at all. Luckily, we still had Jackson’s Moses basket, and friends and family rallied round to get everything else we needed.

It took a bit of time to pick a name, but eventually we agreed on Skye.

She’s now 3 months old and we’ve managed to settle in nicely to life as a family of four.

We always planned to have two children, but we thought there would be at least a twoor three-year age gap.

Instead, the gap is just 11 months – but now Skye is here, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

She’s fitted in perfectly and now our little family is complete.

My baby was delivered in the hospital corridor