A Tasmanian woman found herself in an incredibly unexpected situation when she suddenly gave birth without even knowing she was pregnant.
Courtney Scherger felt a little unwell and headed to the toilet, but what happened next was a complete shock: she gave birth to her son, Eli, who arrived in a breech position and fell directly into the toilet.
Her partner, Simon Whittington, quickly came to her aid, lifting the newborn from the toilet and caring for him while they waited for paramedics.
Eli was then taken to the hospital, where both mother and baby were given the care they needed.
As reported by ABC News, Scherger’s situation is known as a cryptic pregnancy, where a woman is unaware of her pregnancy until she goes into labor or shortly before.
Scherger shared that she didn’t experience any typical pregnancy symptoms like nausea, weight gain, or cravings, and she continued to have regular periods.
A previous pregnancy test had come back negative, reinforcing her belief that she wasn’t pregnant.
Dr. Natasha Vavrek, a women’s health expert, explains that while cryptic pregnancies are rare, they do happen.
Women might think they aren’t pregnant due to irregular or continued bleeding during pregnancy, and pregnancy tests can sometimes become unreliable after a certain point.
