Doctors tell woman she’s constipated – she went to the toilet and had a baby

A woman who had no idea she was pregnant ended up giving birth on the toilet, after doctors told her she was suffering constipation.

Charlotte Bryant, 20, visited three GPs in the run up to her son’s birth and not one noticed she was nine months pregnant. And Charlotte was stunned when her tiny baby Joshua popped out, just hours after she’d swallowed some laxatives prescribed by medics.

Teaching assistant Charlotte told metro.co.uk: ‘I’d had really bad backache and I’d gone to the doctors. I’d been diagnosed with inflamed muscles and given painkillers and Diazepman. 

‘Then another doctor at my surgery examined my tummy and told me I had constipation. She didn’t have any idea that I was nine months pregnant!

‘I was prescribed with a big box of powder laxatives. I went home and took one and then a short time later I felt an urge to go to the toilet.

‘I sat on the toilet and I felt something really odd between my legs. It was like a poo but it felt like it was coming from the wrong place. I felt the urge to push and then as I looked down and I saw a face looking at me.. It was absolutely surreal.’

Little Joshua came out in seconds and luckily Charlotte’s brother, Adam Bryant, 26, was also at their home in Llanederyn, Cardiff.

Charlotte said: ‘I screamed for my brother and told him I’d had a baby. He told me to stop being stupid until he came downstairs and saw a baby in my arms.’

Charlotte wrapped her baby in a towel and an ambulance was called – which arrived ten minutes later.

‘Six paramedics came through the door. One of them cut the umbilical cord and checked us over and then we were taken straight to hospital.

‘Obviously I didn’t have a thing for him – not even a packet of nappies.’

Joshua who weighed in a healthy 7lb 4oz was rushed to Intensive Care at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, because he was found to be suffering from a chest infection. Charlotte then texted a picture of baby Joshua to her boyfriend of two years, Daniel Hughes, 25. 

‘I texted him a picture of Joshua and told him he had s son. He was in complete shock as I was. At first he thought I was playing a joke on him and told me I was fibbing..’

Charlotte said she had absolutely no idea she was pregnant – her periods were like clockwork and she felt no movement in her tummy.

‘I really had no idea I was expecting – I’d put on a few pounds but I thought I’d been eating too much cake.

‘When my back began to ache I would never have believed it was the start of labour pains. It’s funny the doctor thought I was constipated and gave me laxatives and hours later a baby popped out.’

She said becoming an instant mum was a real shock but now Joshua is three weeks old and is adored by his family.

‘He is the most beautiful baby and Daniel and I love him so much even though he was a complete surprise,’ she said.

‘People have been so kind and brought lots of lovely things for him. He doesn’t want for anything. We all call him a little miracle – and he really is too.’