A WOMAN got the shock of her life when what she thought was a stomach bug turned out to be something far more serious.
Lucy Shaw, 34, was suffering stomach pains when she suddenly gave birth to twins.
nhs.ukLucy Shaw with her babies Jacob and Jaxon James[/caption]
nhs.ukThe boys have been in hospital the past four weeks but are said to be doing ‘incredibly well’[/caption]
She was 30 weeks pregnant – just seven weeks shy of full-term – when her boys arrived on July 5.
But she had no inclination she was pregnant beforehand, otherwise known as a cryptic or invisible pregnancy.
Jacob and Jaxon James weighed just 3lb 9oz and 3lb 8oz and were taken to the neonatal unit of Royal Stoke Hospital.
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM), which runs the hospital, said the boys are doing “incredibly well” given the circumstances.
Lucy, from Biddulph, Staffordshire, said: “I woke up in the early hours feeling unwell and thought I had a tummy bug.
“A few hours later I called my mum because by then, I was in a lot of pain.”
Lucy’s mum arrived and immediately called 999.
“She took one look at me and called for an ambulance, it was definitely not a tummy bug,” Lucy said.
“Whilst mum was on the phone to the operator, they asked if she could see anything and it then dawned on me to check and I could feel a head.
“I kept trying not to push and was saying they can’t come yet as it’s too soon but the operator told me I must push if I felt like I needed to.
“A few minutes later, Jacob was born at 6am with my mum delivering him just as the paramedics arrived to then deliver Jaxon at 6.15am.”
The twins were put on ventilators to help them breathe while Lucy was also treated for blood loss.
Four weeks later, Jacob and Jaxon are doing well and will soon be going home.
Lee Abbott, Clinical Lead, Neonatology at UHNM said: “Jacob and Jaxon really are true miracle babies.
“On arrival they were so cold that they had unrecordable body temperatures, they both had blood acid levels that were not consistent with survival and they also had low blood pressures.
“They have both pulled through are doing incredibly well and are expected to be able to go home with minimal special care.”
Lucy said: “I am looking forward to getting them home when they are ready. We really can’t wait.”
Cryptic pregnancies, those that go unnoticed, can happen for a number of reasons, including a hidden baby bump, mental health issues, a false negative test result and lack of symptoms.