A 26-Year-Old Woman Gave Birth After Being Rushed to the Hospital for Appendicitis
When Megan Isherwood woke up one afternoon in September, she had no idea her life was about to change forever. The 26-year-old bar manager from Blackburn, Lancashire, thought she was battling appendicitis. She was doubled over in pain, her right side throbbing, and she began vomiting blood. Convinced something was seriously wrong, she called for an ambulance. The last thing she expected was to end the night as a new mom.
At Royal Blackburn Hospital, doctors suspected that her appendix might have burst. Her heart rate was high, and she was in obvious distress. They rushed her through tests, including an ultrasound and a CT scan, just to rule out all possibilities. That’s when everyone in the room got the shock of their lives. The scan didn’t show a swollen appendix. It showed a baby’s head and foot. Megan wasn’t dealing with appendicitis at all. She was about to give birth.
One Surprising Delivery
The medical team quickly arranged to transfer her to Burnley Hospital, which has a maternity ward. She was loaded into the ambulance, and on the way there, a paramedic calmly told her to push if she felt the urge. Moments later, that’s exactly what happened. In the back of the ambulance, surrounded by paramedics, Megan gave birth to a baby boy she had no idea she was carrying.
She named him Jaxson, and he weighed just 4 pounds 6 ounces. Born seven weeks early, he was tiny and fragile. At first, everything seemed fine, but then things took a terrifying turn. The newborn turned blue and stopped breathing. Paramedics immediately began resuscitation to get his little chest moving again before they arrived at Burnley Hospital.
A Fight for Life
Once inside the hospital, both Megan and Jaxson were diagnosed with sepsis, a dangerous infection that can become life-threatening. The pair was moved to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where they were treated with antibiotics and closely monitored. Against all odds, they both made a full recovery.
Megan said she was completely speechless throughout the entire ordeal. She’d taken a pregnancy test two days before that came back negative. She didn’t have a baby bump and hadn’t experienced any of the classic pregnancy symptoms. She even joked that her little boy must have been hiding in plain sight the entire time.
Adjusting to Motherhood
Image via Pexels/Bayu Prakosa
After 16 days in intensive care, Megan and Jaxson were finally able to go home on September 25. The shock had worn off, but the disbelief lingered. She admitted that it took a while to get her head around what had happened. “I was just thinking to myself, where have you come from?” she said, recalling those first few moments of holding him.
Megan wasn’t in a relationship at the time, but she believes she knows who the father is. Once the initial shock faded, she found herself adjusting to motherhood with ease. She describes her baby as a true miracle who’s thriving and healthy.
The Miracle Nobody Saw Coming
Stories like Megan’s are rare, but they do happen. Doctors call it a “cryptic pregnancy,” a condition where a woman doesn’t realize she’s pregnant until very late or, in some cases, like Megan’s, not until she gives birth.
Now, as Megan settles into life with baby Jaxson, the fear and confusion of that day have been replaced with joy. What began as a hospital dash for suspected appendicitis turned into the surprise of a lifetime, and a story she’ll be telling for years to come.