A 36-year-old woman in eastern China gave birth to a baby just four hours after getting to know that she was pregnant.
The woman, surnamed Gong, from Hangzhou in eastern Zhejiang province went to seek treatment for hypertension in Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital when she was told that she was over eight months pregnant.
Gong was shocked to hear the unexpected news, as she had earlier been told by the doctors that she was sterile due to womb syndrome.
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According to South China Morning Post, Gong and her husband had enquired earlier if she could have a baby through the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) method, but she was rejected by the doctors, who recommended she lose weight first. While her weight was not given in the report, she was described as being tall and fat. She also liked eating desserts.
In early December, Gong experienced numbness in her arms, following which she visited a small clinic. The check-up revealed her blood pressure was extremely high, prompting her to get treatment at a major hospital.
There, she told the doctors that she had missed her periods for many months. An ultrasound revealed that Gong was carrying a baby.
According to obstetricians, Gong’s health was critical, and a caesarean section had to be performed immediately. She gave birth to a baby boy weighing 2 kg.
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“There were only four hours from finding out I was pregnant to the birth of my baby,” Gong said happily, as quoted by South China Morning Post.
Not the first case
Gong was not the first case at the hospital. In the past, a 29-year-old woman was admitted and underwent surgery after she was found 23 weeks pregnant.
According to the South China Morning Post, Yang Liwei, an obstetrician at the hospital, said that some women, who are heavier tend not to notice the change in body if their weight does not increase significantly due to pregnancy. Sometimes, fetal movement is not obvious, she added.
“A weak pregnancy reaction is not necessarily a good thing,” Yang said. “Women not knowing they are pregnant will not take a prenatal examination, which makes it hard to ensure the safety of both the mother and the baby.”
(With inputs from agencies)