A 45-year-old mother gave birth to a full-term baby in a hotel bathroom in Canada during a family vacation—completely unaware she was pregnant.
Helen Green, who traveled from Bristol, England, with her husband Michael and their 6-year-old daughter Darcy, experienced stomach pain on the night of May 21, shortly after arriving in Toronto. Around 1:45 a.m., while sitting on the toilet in the hotel room’s ensuite, her body unexpectedly went into labor.
“I had no idea what was happening,” Helen recalled. “After two massive pushes, there was a baby, so I picked her up out of the loo and held her in my arms.”
Initially, Michael thought the sounds of a newborn crying were from a nearby room. He was stunned to find Helen cradling a baby. “I was in such a daze, we could hardly work out what was going on,” said Michael, 45.
In a panic, he called 911 for assistance. “We didn’t know if the baby was well or whether it was full term,” he explained. “We didn’t even check the sex— a paramedic told us.”
When asked about the pregnancy at the hospital, Michael had little to share. “I just kept saying, ‘I don’t know,’” he said.
Fortunately, their baby girl, who weighed 8 lbs., 3 oz., was healthy. They named her Olivia and quickly broke the news to their family. “This was such a huge shock, and also such a lovely surprise,” Helen expressed. “She just came along, and it feels like she’s always been with us.”
Helen, who also has an 18-year-old son named Harry, had endured multiple miscarriages after Darcy’s birth. Throughout her unexpected pregnancy with Olivia, she experienced no symptoms and continued to have regular periods. Unlike her previous pregnancies, she did not show any signs of a “massive bump” and was actively going to the gym four times a week.
Despite the unplanned arrival, baby Olivia was welcomed with love. However, returning home to the U.K. proved challenging as the family had to extend their trip while waiting for Olivia’s birth certificate and passport. “Registering her birth was a nightmare,” Helen recounted. “All we had were discharge papers from the hospital.”
The family made the best of their extended stay, attending three baseball games and visiting Niagara Falls twice. “It was stressful chasing the birth certificate and passport during the week, but the weekends were enjoyable since the offices were closed, and we could relax,” Helen said.
After weeks of waiting, the Green family finally returned home on June 25. Their vacation ended up costing more than $12,000 more than anticipated due to hospital, hotel, and other associated expenses, but they hope travel insurance will cover the additional costs.
Ultimately, the most important thing is that they are now together as a family. “Getting your head around having a baby is hard, but it’s something else when you didn’t know you were pregnant,” Helen reflected. “Within a few days, it just started to feel familiar, and it became such a joy.”
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