Woman dressed as bumble bee gives birth without realising she was pregnant

Jun 10 2008

A British woman 'out on the town' on a friend's hen night in Blackpool, has given birth to a baby without realising she was pregnant.

To add to the surprise at the time she was dressed as a bumble bee!

Newcastle woman 30-year-old Ally Ashwell was on a pub crawl with girlfriends when she became ill - she returned to her hotel room and went into premature labour and found herself delivering her own baby in the hotel bathroom.

The fragile baby boy weighed just 2lb and is now in the intensive care unit of Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

A hospital spokesman says baby Owen has surprised everyone by the progress he has made, as at 26 weeks, the chance for survival is probably about 50 to 60 per cent and the fact he was born in such circumstances will have further reduced that survival rate.

Ally, who lives with her partner Alan Warneford in Newcastle, says she had no idea she was pregnant until the moment her waters broke in the hotel bathroom, it was then that she called the emergency services.

Ally who had been feeling ill all night suspected she might have kidney infection and says though shocked she remained calm and made sure the baby could breathe and was kept warm until the paramedics; they immediately resuscitated him then rushed him to intensive care.

Ally says it now seems surreal because she had no signs of pregnancy, did not feel sick or gain weight and her menstrual cycle was normal.

Her partner, the baby's father is now at her side and the tiny tot has been welcomed by surprised grandparents and family.

While the couple say they were not planning a family and the baby has come as a complete shock which has turned their lives upside down, they have no regrets and praise the paramedics who acted so quickly to save the baby's life.

Unfortunately shortages of beds at the special care baby unit in Newcastle's hospital mean that three weeks since his birth mum and baby Owen are still stranded in Blackpool, waiting to return home to their family.