Didn’t know I was preggers, then docs told me to PUSHHHH!
My lockdown tum wasn’t down to the takeaways Rhea Martin, 24, Stockport
My boyfriend Luke cleared a space on the livingroom floor. ‘I’m doing an Instagram live workout – fancy it?’ he asked. ‘Sure,’ I laughed.
It was October 2020 and I’d still not shifted the dress size I’d gained during the first lockdown.
Luke, a personal trainer, and I often exercised together.
We’d met in a bar just a year earlier.
Despite recently moving in together, we were still in the honeymoon phase.
Yes, we’d tentatively talked about marriage, maybe kids one day.
We’d jokingly bandied around baby names we liked – Myles for a boy.
But for now, all that could wait.
Luke was 27 and I was only 23 years old.
Plenty of time for all that. Besides, I was busy job hunting after being made redundant from my sales job, thanks to the pandemic.
Since COVID-19 hit, life had slowed down.
Like many couples, we’d spent the first lockdown bingeing on Netflix and Chinese takeaways.
I’d always been a fit size 8 before but, these days, I couldn’t zip up my jeans.
So now, as we both did lunges, I decided more workouts with Luke were probably a good thing.
Then, just a few days on, with Halloween fast approaching, Luke took me pumpkin picking.
I’d soon spotted a huge orange one that I liked, perfect for carving.
‘It’s a beauty,’ I grinned, heaving it up.
And suddenly intense pain shot up my spine, as if I’d pulled a muscle.
‘Arrgghh, my back!’ I grimaced.
I hobbled home, and spent the night with a hot-water bottle on my back.
Only, two days later on 20 October 2020, the pain was even worse.
‘Something’s not right,’ I winced to Luke.
‘You just need to rest,’ he said.
But lying down didn’t help at all – and then the cramping started.
‘I think I’m getting my period, too,’ I groaned.
I’d always suffered with bad cramps, but this was next-level painful.
I could hardly walk. ‘Take me to A&E!’ I cried to Luke.
Worried, he drove me to Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport.
After a quick examination, I was sent home, told to take paracetamol and rest.
But I simply couldn’t cope with the pain.
We were home for less than 20 minutes before I begged Luke to drive me back to the hospital.
We got there about 10pm, but Luke wasn’t allowed into A&E with me due to COVID-19 restrictions.
‘Go home, I’ll get a cab later,’ I told him, hobbling into the hospital.
Taking one look at me groaning in pain, a nurse whisked me to a cubicle.
‘I want the pain to stop!’ I cried to her.
I was in such agony, my vision was blurring.
A doctor checked me over then whispered something to the nurse.
‘This might be a surprise, but you’re having a baby, right now,’ she said.
Shockwaves crashed over me and I blacked out.
When I came round, the pain was unbearable.
‘OK, you need to get it together,’ the nurse said, kindly. ‘Because we need you to push!’
There wasn’t time to call Luke.
Gasping, I pushed with all
my might before I passed out again.
As I blinked my eyes open, the nurse was smiling.
‘Congratulations, you have a perfect baby boy,’ she said.
I could hardly take it in.
A baby boy?!
I hadn’t known I was pregnant – we were usually careful and I’d been having regular periods.
‘I don’t understand!’ I gasped. ‘It’s called a cryptic pregnancy, some women carry on having periods and don’t experience pregnancy symptoms, so they don’t realise,’ she explained. ‘But I didn’t have a bump,’ I replied.
‘You were carrying the baby more towards your back, so it barely showed,’ she explained.
That explains why my jeans felt tight!
My head swam as the nurse explained that they suspected my newborn son had jaundice, so he was being checked over. Suddenly, my heart surged with primal feelings of love. I was a mother now. And I already loved my son more than anything. Soon after, the nurse came in and placed a tiny baby in my arms.
He was 6lb 7oz, and I marvelled at his downy hair, perfect lips, tiny fingers and toes.
‘Hi! You were a surprise, but I’m so happy you’re here,’ I smiled.
It was overwhelming. ‘You’d better phone your boyfriend,’ the nurse said to me. Shaking, I called Luke. ‘Can you come to the hospital?’ I stammered.
I walked out to meet him when he arrived.
‘Erm, you’re a dad,’ I told him. ‘My backache was a baby.’
Luke’s face was a picture. Every emotion flashed across it.
Then he broke into a huge smile. ‘You have a son,’ I grinned. He hugged me as I took him to meet our baby.
‘I can’t believe it,’ Luke said, cradling him gently.
‘He’s so beautiful.’
We named him Myles, and spent the whole day marvelling at our surprise son.
Next morning, we called both of our parents.
‘You’re a grandma,’ I told my mum Lisa, as she squealed and sobbed.
Our families were thrilled, despite the shock. We sent them off with a shopping list – a cot, nappies, sleepsuits.
After a couple of days, baby Myles’ jaundice cleared up. Other than that, he was healthy, despite me not having the slightest clue that I’d been pregnant.
A few days later, when Luke and I took Myles home, everything was ready.
I have to say that getting used to life with a newborn was full on, the sleepless nights a proper shock to the system.
But even knowing you’re pregnant for nine months can’t prepare you for the exhaustion that comes with a new baby.
In fact, Luke and
I couldn’t believe how quickly we clicked into parent mode.
Changing nappies and sterilising bottles quickly became the most natural thing in the world for us.
Myles, now 6 months, is rolling over, crawling and babbling.
He gives the biggest, beaming smiles that just melt my heart.
I still can’t believe I didn’t know he was on his way – until I was being told to push!
But he’s the best surprise that I’ll ever receive.
Suddenly, my heart surged with feelings of love