A mum, who woke up with a tummy ache thinking she’d eaten something dodgy, got the shock of her life eight minutes later when she gave birth to a surprise baby.
Tilda Kantala, 23, from Turku, Finland, had no idea she was pregnant when she woke up on June 28 and felt a “small burning pain” – but soon realised what was happening.
“I thought it was just from eating something bad or something that my stomach can’t handle,” the young mum said.
“It wasn’t like normal contractions but then came a very familiar feeling – the urge to push.
“That’s when I figured out that I was in labour and about to give birth to a baby or babies. At that point, I didn’t know anything.”
Tilda, who also has a two-year-old daughter Aleia, said her periods were normal throughout the pregnancy and she didn’t experience any sickness.
She said she had gained a bit of weight but thought it was just normal weight fluctuation. It wasn’t until the night she gave birth in a summer cottage she’d visited with her family that she realised something was wrong.
She said: “I had just woken up and my mother and sister and my daughter were outside already.
“At the last minute, I was able to shout ‘Mum’ because I heard her coming into the house to get something.
“She came into my room and saw me in pain and about to push for the first time. She asked: ‘Are you pregnant?’ and I answered: ‘I guess so.’”
By the time her mum had run into the room, the baby’s head was already crowning. Tilda recalls her mum asking if she could wait to push, but there was no way she could delay any longer.
“My mum went to get some towels and get some more help from my uncle, who called the ambulance. While he was on the call, I pushed three times and the baby was out,” she said.
When the ambulance arrived, baby Alec had already been born. He and Tilda were taken to hospital to be checked over as Tilda hadn’t had any scans or tests throughout the pregnancy.
“I was confused, scared, anxious. I was alone already, a single mother for my daughter and now another one was coming into our lives,” she said.
“Luckily, the baby was perfectly fine and healthy.”
While in hospital, Tilda started to organise what she could and her family helped prepare for them coming home. She needed to find a new car seat for the baby, as well as a double pram to take both kids out and about.
“It was pretty difficult to buy everything in such a hurry but I managed it pretty well in my opinion and I’m lucky to have my parents and other relatives help with buying everything,” she said.
Four days later, Tilda was allowed to take Alec home from hospital. He’s now three months old and thriving.