It's no secret that being pregnant can be a bit of an ordeal, and all kinds of aches and pains have to be endured during that nine-month gestation period. You have to cope with gaining weight, hormonal changes, morning sickness, food cravings, and giving up drinking and smoking until the child has been safely delivered. But one positive thing is that those 40-or-so weeks give you plenty of time to mentally prepare yourself for parenthood. After all, although some babies are unplanned, it's pretty rare for the actual birth of a little bundle of joy to be a surprise. So you can imagine 29-year-old Sarah Bailey's shock when what she'd thought was agonising case of constipation turned out to actually be contractions, and she ended up delivering her baby daughter on the toilet instead. You might wonder how Sarah neglected to notice that she was actually pregnant that whole time. She was no stranger to pregnancy and motherhood herself, as a mom of three little ones already. But as it turns out, she had good reason not to expect that she was actually carrying a child to term. Doctors later learned that Sarah's placenta had moved to an unusual position inside her body, which managed to obscure the usual baby-bump that most women attain after a few weeks of pregnancy. As a result of this complication, Sarah didn't even need to change jeans size in the nine month period following her daughter's conception. Not only this, but the placenta had actually ruptured and was bleeding, which meant that Sarah thought she was still on her period throughout. It wasn't until she was in extreme back pain in April 2018 that things took a turn for the worst. Sarah went to use the toilet when contractions started; then her water broke and she started bleeding heavily. Luckily, Sarah's mother Pat was on hand to help deliver the baby, and Sarah's partner David immediately called the emergency services when he saw that Sarah was in distress. The paramedics arrived just as Sarah passed out, and they discovered that the baby had stopped breathing. They were able to resuscitate her, and soon Sarah and her new baby (named "Desirae") were resting in hospital, safe and sound. Commenting on the birth itself, Sarah stated: "I’d given birth very quickly with no pain relief, so my body was in complete shock, which is why I blacked out. All I wanted was my mum. At some point in hospital, I must’ve drifted off again, because suddenly I woke up and Mum was there at my bedside saying 'The baby is absolutely fine.' At first, I’d no idea what she meant. Then I remembered I had given birth." "David was there too, utterly astonished. He just kept saying, ‘Oh my god, we have another baby girl.' We didn’t know how to tell people, so David suggested posting on Facebook so everyone knew in one go. At first, people thought I was messing around and that I’d posted a picture of a doll – but they soon realised I was completely serious." She added: "People have been amazing. Bags and bags of baby things were donated to us. I can’t thank everyone enough. This has all been such a whirlwind. I still shudder to think what would’ve happened if I’d been alone with nobody to help me, or if Mum was forced to choose between saving me and Desirae. She deserves a medal. We still can’t quite believe she delivered her granddaughter." Sarah has also stated that the rest of the family have really taken to the sudden arrival of the little girl: "[My son] Rio is over the moon with Desirae, and the twins love fussing over her. She’s such a wonderful little baby, and she’s living proof that the body doesn’t always react to pregnancy in the way you’d expect." So I guess it's true what they say after all: sometimes the best experiences in life come in the form of a surprise.

New mom had no idea she was pregnant until she gave birth on the toilet

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