I thought I had stomach cramps but found out I was pregnant at 16 and gave birth 10 hours later
Verity McConnell, 27, from Aberdeen, was just 16 when she found herself going into labour and giving birth to a baby girl one Saturday night - having been totally unaware of the fact that she was pregnant before that moment.
Like many 16-year-olds around the country, the teenager was enjoying partying at a school friend's birthday bash when she began to experience extreme stomach cramps.
Initially thinking them to be period cramps, Verity, who is now a mother-of-three, went home and tried to sleep off the pain, but soon found it intensifying to the point that her mother rushed to the local maternity hospital, as per instructed by a NHS 24 caller.
There, and in complete shock, gave birth to a healthy 7lb 7oz baby girl the next morning at 10:30am, just 10 hours after first making the discovery.
The teenager was completely blindsided by the discovery, and said she had continued to have periods through the gestation.
Relaying the tale of her surprise birth on TikTok, the 27-year-old revealed her daughter is now nearly 11-years-old, and she has had a subsequent two children with her partner.
She recalled coming home from the house party at around 11pm, heading straight to bed with what felt like painful period cramps.
'It just didn't feel right, just like something was off and then I started getting really bad stomach cramps,' she said.
'I remember going to the toilet and then going to my bed and then my cramps were getting more often and painful.
'I kept thinking, just go to sleep, go to sleep. But every time I kept trying to go to sleep I couldn't, like it was so sore.'
So disturbed by her pain, Verity then went to wake up her mother, admitting she was 'nervous' to wake up.
'I think she could see that I was in quite a bit of pain and nothing was really helping it at all.'
Her mother then called the NHS who advised them to go to the maternity ward.
'I'm lying there. I'm 16, I'm terrified and she [the nurse] looks at me and looks at my mum and she goes, there is definitely a baby in there and you are going to have it very soon.'
She was then sent off for testing and scans where she was informed that she was 37 weeks pregnant.
'I think because everything was like such a rush and I was basically just running on pure adrenaline, I managed to give birth.
'She was 7lb 7oz so she wasn't even that small and I did all with just gas and air and pure adrenaline.
'I didn't have anything for this baby, not a single thing,' she said, since the baby had been a total surprise.
'My baby had to wear clothes that were donated to the hospital and nappies from the hospital.'
Doctors suggested that one of the reasons Verity didn't have a bump or symptoms was because the baby was growing towards her back.
'I had no bump, I could still fit in all my clothes. I'd been to T in The Park, I'd been on holidays, I'd been on water slides.
'I've had no scans, I've had no tests, I've had no midwife appointments, I've had no checks, nothing.'
The only indicator of her pregnancy was that she felt she had 'put on a bit of weight' and had even been considering going to the gym to shift the extra pounds.
'I just wasn't feeling like myself,' she said. Nevertheless, she still fit into all her clothes and was none the wiser to the baby growing inside her.
The 27-year-old has since given birth to two more children and lives in Aberdeen with her partner.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
3 minutes ago
- The Independent
Family welcome inquest into death of boy sent home from A&E
The family of a five-year-old boy who died after he was sent home from A&E say they are 'getting closer and closer to the truth' after an inquest into his death was opened. Yusuf Mahmud Nazir died at Sheffield Children's Hospital on November 23 2022, eight days after he was seen at Rotherham Hospital and sent home with antibiotics. Last month, after a second report into Yusuf's care was published by NHS England, his family called for an inquest into his death, saying there were still many unanswered questions. On Thursday, an inquest was opened and adjourned by Sheffield's Senior Coroner Tanyka Rawden. Speaking after the five minute-long hearing, Yusuf's uncle Zaheer Ahmed said: 'It's been a very long journey for us and we really appreciate the fact that the coroner has listened to us on our first approach and given us the inquest we want. 'And it will give us more answers about how Yusuf died, which is what we're wanting. 'It's been a tough fight to get here, but we're getting closer and closer to the truth.' The coroner adjourned the inquest to a case management hearing on January 30 2026 but said the full hearing will be later than this. Mr Ahmed said: 'We don't mind how long it takes as long as everything gets looked at properly and thoroughly and we get the answers that we need. 'We don't want it to be rushed. We don't want any opportunities to be missed.' He said: 'It was actually Yusuf's birthday yesterday. He would have been eight years old today.' Mr Ahmed has always said they were told 'there are no beds and not enough doctors' in the emergency department, and that Yusuf should have been admitted and given intravenous antibiotics in Rotherham. Yusuf, who had asthma, was taken to a GP with a sore throat and feeling unwell on November 15. He was prescribed antibiotics by an advanced nurse practitioner. Later that evening, his parents took him to Rotherham Hospital urgent and emergency care centre (UECC) where he was seen in the early hours of the morning after a six-hour wait. He was discharged with a diagnosis of severe tonsillitis and an extended prescription of antibiotics. Two days later Yusuf was given further antibiotics by his GP for a possible chest infection, but his family became so concerned they called an ambulance and insisted the paramedics take him to Sheffield Children's Hospital rather than Rotherham. Yusuf was admitted to the intensive care unit on November 21 but developed multi-organ failure and suffered several cardiac arrests which he did not survive. The new report published in July included a range of recommendations for the NHS. It concluded: 'Our primary finding is that the parental concerns, particularly the mother's instinct that her child was unwell, were repeatedly not addressed across services.' Speaking at a press conference in Rotherham in July, Yusuf's mother, Soniya Ahmed, said: 'For the medical staff there are lessons to be learnt from this tragedy, but for us, our life, Yusuf has been taken away from us in the most horrific way. 'Every night when I close my eyes I hear Yusuf's helpless voice in my ears saying, 'Mummy, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I really can't'.' Ms Ahmed choked back tears as she said: 'We want to know how our son has died and who is responsible, and the only way we will get these answers is with an inquest. The family demand an inquest.' The new report by Peter Carter, former general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said Yusuf had 23 separate healthcare contacts across four organisations 'with no single, co-ordinated record or oversight, contributing to fragmented and disjointed care'. The family said they were most surprised by the report's findings in relation to Sheffield Children's Hospital, including that it used an outdated cannula method which deprived Yusuf of drugs he needed. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said last month: 'There are no excuses for the tragic failings in the lead-up to Yusuf's death and I know first-hand how hard it has been for his family to live without the answers they deserve.'
Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Mass evacuation after chemical incident at major London hospital: Firefighters rush to scene as 150 patients and medical staff told to leave
A chemical incident has forced a major London hospital to evacuate as firefighters rush to the scene and patients and medical staff are told to leave. Around 150 people have been evacuated from the basement and ground floor levels of Guy's Hospital in Southwark, southeast London, by firefighters and hospital staff. The London Fire Brigade was first called about the incident at 8.49am, with crews from Whitechapel, Dowgate, Euston and surrounding fire stations sent to the scene. Pictured: Patients, medical staff and visitors seen on Stainer Street near London Bridge station Two fire engines, two Fire Rescue Units, a Command Unit and specialist hazardous materials officers are in attendance. Crews are carrying out operations to ventilate the building. Images posted on social media show crowds of people on Stainer Street outside Guy's Hospital.
The Sun
4 minutes ago
- The Sun
Major London hospital evacuated over ‘chemical incident' as huge crowds seen lining streets outside
A MAJOR London hospital has been evacuated over a chemical incident as huge crowds can be seen lining the streets outside. Emergency services say around 150 people were evacuated from the hospital's basement and ground floors. 2 2 London Fire Brigade were called to reports of a chemical incident earlier this morning. In dramatic footage, patients were filmed being escorted from Guy's Hospital in Southwark. Crowds of people can also be seen lining the pavements outside the hospital and London Bridge train station. A police officer at the scene told The Sun: 'There was a chemical leak in the basement of Guy's hospital. It's just reopened now. "One of the engineers accidentally mixed chlorine with sulphuric acid, and it totally exploded.' In a statement, London Fire Brigade said: "Firefighters are responding to reports of a chemical incident at Guys Hospital. "Two fire engines, two Fire Rescue Units, a Command Unit and specialist hazardous materials officers have been sent to the scene. Crews are carrying out operations to ventilate the building. "Around 150 people have been evacuated from the basement and ground floor levels of the hospital by firefighters and hospital staff. "The Brigade was first called about the incident at 0849, with crews from Whitechapel, Dowgate, Euston and surrounding fire stations sent to the scene."
