I thought I had stomach flu — I gave birth to premature twins

A UK woman thought she was suffering from a stomach bug last month — it turns out she was pregnant with twins. 

Lucy Shaw, 34, from Staffordshire, unexpectedly gave birth to twin boys on July 5, a British hospital system announced this week.

Shaw had what is called a cryptic or invisible pregnancy, which can occur if a woman has a hidden baby bump, a lack of pregnancy symptoms, hormonal issues, a contraceptive failure, or a false negative test, according to Parents.com.

Shaw was only 30 weeks pregnant when she gave birth to sons Jacob and Jaxon James, who weighed 3 pounds, 9 ounces and 3 pounds, 8 ounces, respectively.

They were said to be recovering in the neonatal unit of Royal Stoke University Hospital, where Shaw was treated for blood loss.

Shaw said she knew something was amiss when she woke up with severe stomach pain, though she never guessed she was pregnant.

“I woke up in the early hours feeling unwell and thought I had a tummy bug,” she said in a statement. “A few hours later I called my mom because by then, I was in a lot of pain.”

Shaw’s mom arrived at her daughter’s home and called an ambulance — she could immediately tell it was not stomach flu.

“Whilst mom was on the phone to the operator, they asked if she could see anything, and it then dawned on me to check, and I could feel a head,” Shaw said.

Sure enough, Shaw felt one of her babies’ heads coming out between her legs. 

The operator reportedly told Shaw to avoid pushing the baby out if she could.

“I kept trying not to push and was saying they can’t come yet as it’s too soon, but the operator told me I must push if I felt like I needed to,” she explained.  

Shaw couldn’t wait. Her mom delivered Jacob and when the paramedics came, they delivered Jaxon.

“Jacob was born at 6 a.m., with my mom delivering him just as the paramedics arrived to then deliver Jaxon at 6:15 a.m.,” she recalled.

It’s been four weeks since their births, and the twins should be going home soon — after surviving various challenges, including being put on ventilators.

Dr. Lee Abbott, clinical lead of neonatology at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, called the boys “miracle babies.”

“On arrival, they were so cold that they had unrecordable body temperatures, they both had blood acid levels that were not consistent with survival and they also had low blood pressures,” Abbott said. 

“They have both pulled through are doing incredibly well and are expected to be able to go home with minimal special care.”

Shaw said she’s looking forward to caring for her boys.

“I am looking forward to getting them home when they are ready. We really can’t wait,” Shaw said. 

Cryptic pregnancies are more common than some might think. Just last year, a 22-year-old flight attendant thought she had to use the toilet, where she unexpectedly gave birth to a girl.