A 26-year-old woman, Megan Isherwood, has shared her shock after giving birth to a baby boy despite having no idea she was pregnant.
Isherwood, from Blackburn, Lancashire, was rushed to the hospital after suffering intense pain in her right side and vomiting blood. Doctors at Blackburn Hospital initially suspected appendicitis and ordered ultrasound and CT scans.
To their surprise, the scans revealed a baby’s head and foot — just days after Isherwood had taken a pregnancy test that came back negative. She was immediately transferred to Burnley Hospital, but went into labour en route and gave birth to a baby boy, Jaxson, who weighed 4.6 pounds, on September 9.
“I was speechless — I couldn’t believe what had just happened,” Isherwood said. “I had no bump, no symptoms at all. He just came out of nowhere. He’s a miracle.”
The bar manager explained that she had woken up that day feeling unwell and called her friend, Gabbie Rose, who noticed how pale and weak she looked and urged her to seek medical help. Paramedics who arrived initially suspected appendicitis due to her severe pain, nausea, and high heart rate.
When “blood suddenly gushed out” while waiting to see a doctor, a team of about 15 medics rushed to assess her and ordered further scans — which confirmed she was pregnant.
During the ambulance transfer to Burnley, Isherwood gave birth in transit. “The paramedic told me to push if I felt the urge — and as soon as she said that, I just pushed. The next thing you know, they told me, ‘Congratulations, it’s a boy!’”
Baby Jaxson was born prematurely at 33 weeks and briefly stopped breathing, but paramedics managed to revive him. Both mother and child were later diagnosed with sepsis but made a full recovery after treatment.
Jaxson, who stopped breathing again a few days later but was revived by doctors, was discharged on September 25 and is now healthy and home with his mother.
“He didn’t make himself known before he was born, but he definitely did after almost dying twice,” Isherwood said. “He’s such a brave boy.”