'Surgeons operated to remove my ovaries - but found a 9lb BABY inside': Mother's shock after months of stomach cramps are due to pregnancy

• Rebecca Oldham had stomach pain for months and underwent many tests
• Had three scans, two blood tests and six pregnancy tests but none revealed the pregnancy so it was eventually decided her ovaries were responsible
• During surgery to remove them, surgeons found a healthy baby boy
• Woke her up briefly to say the surgery was being changed to a caesarean
• Baby James is now a healthy seven-month-old and an investigation is underway to discover how the pregnancy could have been missed
  A mother who went into surgery to have her ovaries removed has spoken of her total shock after doctors discovered a 9lb baby growing inside her.
  Rebecca Oldham, 25, was admitted to hospital with severe abdominal cramping and was due to undergo surgery to remove her ovaries as these were deemed to be the cause of her discomfort.
  But, when surgeons opened her up, they found a full-term baby boy inside her.
  Ms Oldham, from New Zealand, told the New zealand herald: ‘I was facing not being able to have any more children because they thought there were problems with my ovaries, and all of a sudden we had a son.’
  Ms Oldham says she had had months of stomach cramps and had undergone intensive testing.
  She had three scans, two blood tests and six pregnancy tests as doctors attempted to establish the cause of her pain.
  Eventually, she was admitted to Middlemore Hospital, in Manukau City, in November last year for surgery.
  Surgeons were shocked to discover a healthy baby inside her and woke her up briefly to tell her the operation was being changed to an emergency caesarean.
  Ms Oldham, and her partner James Tipene, were already parents to Hayley, now 20 months, when baby James was born.
  Mr Oldham told the New Zealand Herald: ‘I am so glad they woke me and told me I was going to have another baby.
   
  
  
  ‘Even though it was short notice it was better than waking up and being handed a baby.’
  The couple are now waiting to find out exactly how the pregnancy could have been missed.
  
  
  It is believed Ms Oldham developed stomach pains because the baby was lodged along her back meaning he was unable to move around.
  She said she struggled to feed James because she wasn’t emotionally aware she was pregnant.
  

  HOW CAN A WOMAN NOT KNOW SHE IS PREGNANT?

  According to studies, the phenomenon of surprise birth is not as rare as one might imagine.

  Statistics show one in 600 mothers-to-be will be unaware they are pregnant until they give birth.

  The situation tends to occur in busy women, those who may already be overweight, and those approaching the menopause.

  It tends to happen in menopausal women and younger busy women because they are not expecting to be pregnant and will not be looking for signs

  Also, bleeding during pregnancy is common, especially during the first few months when the baby is bedding in, so women can think they are still menstruating.
  She added that people cannot understand how she didn’t realise she was pregnant but that she genuinely had no idea.
  A spokesperson for Middlemore Hospital said medics had acted ‘entirely appropriately’.
  According to studies, the phenomenon of surprise birth is not as rare as one might imagine.
  Statistics show that one in 600 mothers-to-be will be unaware they are pregnant until they give birth, or just before.
  The situation tends to occur in busy women, those who may already be overweight, and those approaching the menopause.
  It tends to happen in menopausal women and younger busy women because they are not expecting to be pregnant and will not be looking for signs
  Also, bleeding during pregnancy is common, especially during the first few months when the baby is bedding in, so women can think they are still menstruating.