A mum-of-four was absolutely shocked when she gave birth to a baby girl on the loo, having had no clue she was pregnant as she was on the pill, continued to have periods, and had four negative pregnancy tests.
Grace Meachim, 32, and James Meachim, 34, were adamant they would only have three children – then their fourth, Sienna Meachim, arrived as a total surprise.
Grace had women in the early ours of 5 December, 2019, as she was feeling a bit rundown.
Planning to take a painkiller and have a cup of tea, she suddenly felt like the desperately needed to go to the toilet. But as she sat down, she felt her waters break and let out a scream.
Her husband and their eldest son Tyler, 13, came running to help as they thought Grace was ‘being attacked’. She told them to call an ambulance immediately as there was ‘something coming’.
Moments after getting through to a 999 operator, James had to run to the loo and catch his baby daughter as Grace quickly gave birth.
When paramedics arrived, they took Grace and 7lbs 5.5oz newborn Sienna to hospital, where they were both given a perfect bill of health and sent home.
As you might expect, this was quite the shock for Grace, who had no idea she was carrying a child.
Grace says she was taking the contraceptive pill ‘religiously’, still had her monthly bleed, and had no discernible bump.
Grace, of Littlehampton, West Sussex, said: ‘Within seconds of getting to the toilet, my waters went. It frightened me so much I screamed.
‘It was so surreal. I hadn’t had any build-up to it at all, no pain, nothing.
When I’d gone to the loo, I didn’t feel like I was going into labour at all. After three previous pregnancies, I know what that feels like.
‘There was a big gush then there was pressure and a mass down there.
‘I knew then what was happening and I went into shock. All I can remember thinking is “oh my god, is this really happening?”.
‘My husband and our eldest came running down. James called the ambulance and I was shouting “there’s something coming”.
‘He told the operator “I think it’s a baby but she’s not pregnant”.
‘As soon as he said that he had to throw the phone to Tyler because I screamed “quick, catch it”.
‘Within seconds James had his hands down the toilet catching the baby, it all happened so quickly.
‘It was very strange, it was like something out of a movie.
‘I just kept saying “I’m sorry” to my husband because we’d been dead set against any more children.
‘James was waiting to be booked in for a vasectomy and I’d planned to up my hours at work so we could start saving for a mortgage.’
Throughout her pregnancy Grace had continued to drink alcohol, even boozing more than usual as it was the lead up to Christmas. She had also been on strong painkillers for a bad shoulder – so it was incredibly lucky that Sienna arrived in good health.
Grace said she didn’t notice a large baby bump but had developed a ‘slight lump’ in her tummy, so took three at-home pregnancy tests just in case – but they all gave negative results.
When she was (unknowingly) five months pregnant, Grace went to her GP, who conducted another pregnancy test – again, these came back negative.
After a feel of the lump on her stomach, Grace says she was diagnosed with a recurring cyst, as she had suffered oone the previous year that had disappeared on its own.
The mum was due to have an ultrasound of the ‘cyst’ in January 2020 but Sienna was born a month earlier.
Grace said: ‘With all my pregnancies before Sienna I knew straight away. With my first and third, I had huge bumps.
‘I didn’t show as quickly with my second but in the last eight weeks, my bump really popped.
‘But with Sienna, I had no signs, no symptoms, nothing. All my pregnancy tests were negative, everything was regular throughout.
‘The only reason I took the tests was because I had a slight lump in my tummy but it wasn’t a massive or noticeable bump.
‘The year before I had had a cyst that eventually dispersed so when I went to the doctor again last year about the lump, she checked it out and said it felt the same as last time.
‘Because I was healthy otherwise, they didn’t want to do surgery to remove it but said I’d probably have a scan in the new year.
‘I was happy with that. I didn’t want to take the time off work for surgery and I wasn’t in any pain so I was happy to wait. That was all just a few months before Sienna arrived.’
While Sienna’s arrival was a massive shock and not what they had planned, Grace and James see the whole story as a ‘nice surprise’.
They definitely don’t plan to have a fifth child, though.
‘She was perfect and a really good size, I have no idea how I hid that,’ said Grace.
‘She was such a nice surprise, she is that little bit extra special to us. And we definitely know she’s here now, she is really coming out of her shell.
‘We wouldn’t change it but it’s definitely no more kids now. I’ve told James he needs to chase up his snip as soon as lockdown is over.’
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