Courtney went to the bathroom… moments later she was screaming out for her husband and rushed to hospital after a shock discovery
A woman who had no idea she was pregnant gave birth to a healthy baby boy during what she thought was a normal bathroom visit.
Courtney Scherger said the baby landed “feet first” in the toilet with a splash last weekend after “one big, quick push.”
The new mother had previously been told she was unlikely to conceive and was frozen with fear but shouted for her partner Simon Whittington, who ran in from the room next door, picked up the baby and called an ambulance.
When emergency services arrived, they cut the umbilical cord and took the trio to North West Regional Hospital in Burnie, where Mrs Scherger and baby Eli are doing well.
βIt all happened so quickly, it didn’t hurt, I didn’t feel too sick or anything, no signs, no symptoms,β Ms. Scherger said ABC radio.
She and Mr Whittington were running on adrenaline, but said once they were under the care of doctors at the hospital they calmed down and began to process the fact that they were now proud parents.
Mrs. Scherger assumed she would not have children because she had been told she was going through menopause.
βIt’s an absolute miracle that someone who can’t have children is surprised with a beautiful little child,β she said.
Courtney Scherger and her partner Simon Whittington have become proud parents after she gave birth during what she thought was a normal toilet visit
Mrs. Scherger said she had not had morning sickness or food cravings for the past nine months. She had some bleeding and her abdomen appeared to have remained the same size.
In fact, she was experiencing a “hidden” or “cryptic” pregnancy, where a woman does not know she is pregnant until late in the third trimester or when labor begins.
Research shows that approximately one in 475 pregnancies remains undetected until about 20 weeks of pregnancy and approximately one in 2,500 pregnancies is not detected until delivery.
Dr Natasha Vavrek, director of The Bubble, a women’s sexual, reproductive and mental health clinic in Launceston, says common pregnancy symptoms such as fatigue or nausea can be dismissed as a general feeling of being unwell.
She said women who are pregnant or on the pill can still get their periods and that pregnancy tests can be unreliable after the first trimester.
‘For many women, if they take a pregnancy test after that time, the result will no longer be positive.’
Ms Scherger and Mr Whittington said they are now “cramming” nine months of knowledge into a few days as they prepare to take Eli home.
Baby Eli and Mrs. Scherger are both doing well in the hospital and will be returning home soon
Their story is reminiscent of that of Melbourne model Erin Langmaid, who was 23 when she suddenly became a mother in October 2019.
She welcomed Isla into the world unexpectedly, despite there being no signs of pregnancy.
The size 10 model had worked full-time and had been taking birth control pills before giving birth.
She didn’t have any of the typical symptoms of illness, such as a baby bump or food cravings. She only felt sick on the day Isla was born.
His partner Dan Carty heard the noise in the bathroom and was shocked by what he found there.
“I heard a loud scream and I ran inside and opened the door. I was worried about her. Then I saw the little one and I thought, ‘Wait a minute, there’s two of them,'” Mr Carty said.
The father said he was “stunned.”