'I Went to A&E With a Suspected Kidney Infection And Left With Surprise Baby'

A woman from Liverpool was in for the surprise of her life after her dad took her to the hospital with what they presumed was a kidney infection, only to leave with her newborn baby son in her arms. Rachael Fogarty first began experiencing pain on November 24 while at work and had to go home early. She was unable to sleep that night and rang 111 the following day. The 29-year-old admin assistant was told there would be a five-hour wait for an ambulance and so, given that she only lives five minutes down the road from her local hospital, she decided to leave it and take herself in if things didn't improve. After enduring another sleepless night, Rachael's dad took her to A&E at 9:30am the following morning. The doctor went through all the usual questions but wasn't able to figure out what was going on. That afternoon, Rachael was examined by a gynaecologist, who soon solved the mystery - she was about to give birth, having had no clue whatsoever that she was even pregnant. Rachael recalled: "I was sent to see a gynaecologist who, after examining me, asked, 'are you sure you're not pregnant?', to which I replied, 'no I can't be'. "She responded, 'well, I can feel your baby and it's coming so are you sure?', and so I replied, 'no I'm sure I'm not'". An ultrasound was arranged, and all stunned Rachael could say was "oh", as the gynaecologist pointed out her baby on the screen, telling her that he was on the way. She was then admitted to the delivery suite, her whole life having changed in the course of just one afternoon. Doctors believed Rachael was around 37 and a half weeks along, but she couldn't work it out herself until her partner recalled a night out they'd had where they'd enjoyed a few drinks together. Rachael said: "I just sighed. I have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and so have gone 12 months without a period before, so to go nine months without one wasn't abnormal. "I've been with my partner for 10 years and it's never happened before so I thought it would never happen. The saying is true, it only takes that one time".

Naturally, the news came as somewhat of a shock, and Rachael remembers how her first thought was whether there was "any way to stop him coming for a day or two, so I could have time to process the information and mentally prepare myself". She continued: "I rang my mum first who thought I was ringing her for food, or for my dad to pick me up as I'd been there all day. She and my dad were over the moon and this was their first grandchild. "My partner looked like he'd been smacked with a wet fish, but by the time the baby came he was so happy and he's been amazing. "When I rang my boss she didn't believe me until I sent her photos and she sent an email to the company and friends got in touch to say it silenced the whole place for a good few minutes. "Friends and family have been amazing. By the end of Saturday, we had everything he needed and it was so surreal".

Rachael gave birth to little James by C-section, at 2:32 am on Saturday, November 27, with the baby boy weighing in at 5lb 11oz. As Rachael had no clue she was even expecting, there were no records concerning the new mum and her baby boy until the following Thursday. Reflecting on James' dramatic arrival, Rachael describes her son as "amazing" and "the best thing that's ever happened to us". The new mum arrived home the following Thursday but unfortunately had to return to hospital the Monday after as her scar was not healing properly and had caused an infection. Rachael was kept in for another two weeks, during which time she had two surgeries and contracted both COVID-19 and MRSA. She says these negative experiences have sadly left her with a "genuine fear of hospitals ". However, despite having to contend with all of this as well as PTSD and post-natal depression, Rachael now feels things are "only going in the right direction", and says her wound is healing well. Thankfully the parent is now able to get out and about once again, taking James to baby classes. She says spending quality time with her young son has been "amazing", however, she has had to field some awkward questions about her surprise pregnancy.