SWNSA teenager who fell into a coma woke up four days later to the news she’d given birth to a baby – despite not knowing she was pregnant in the first place.
Ebony Stevenson, 18, went to bed feeling unwell on December 2 last year, but was rushed to hospital after suffering a series of seizures. She was then placed in an induced coma.
After examining her, doctors realised she was pregnant and was suffering from preeclampsia, which had caused the seizures. Four days later, Ebony woke up to discover she’d given birth to a baby girl.
SWNSEbony, a college student who studies Sports Physiotherapy, had no idea she was pregnant because she has a condition called uterus didelphys. The condition is thought to affect one in 3,000 women and those affected are born with two uteruses.
As such, the 18-year-old hadn’t had any of the normal symptoms of pregnancy; she hadn’t developed a bump, had experienced no morning sickness and hadn’t missed a period.
After being rushed to Royal Oldham Hospital, Greater Manchester, Ebony was placed in an induced coma and doctors told her mum the baby needed to be delivered straight away.
The sports student underwent an emergency caesarean on December 3 and gave birth to a baby girl – called Elodie – who weighed 7lbs 10ozs, just three hours after her first fit.
Ebony, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, said:
I didn’t think I even wanted kids, at least not for another 10 years and never expected to be a young mum. Waking up from a coma to be told I had been pregnant and had given birth to a baby girl was overwhelming to say the least.
Meeting my baby was so surreal. It felt like an out of body experience. I worried I wouldn’t bond with my daughter because I had no time to get my head around her arrival, but I think she’s amazing.
It’s an absolute miracle. I wouldn’t change Elodie for the world.
SWNSDespite not remembering anything from the time she went to bed complaining of a headache on December 2, Ebony’s mum, Sheree, described the moment Ebony started vomiting and having a seizure on the bathroom floor.
After calling 999, Ebony had five more seizures before the ambulance arrived at the house – just five minutes after Sheree had made the phone call. When the paramedics arrived, they immediately asked if the teenager was pregnant.
Sheree, 39, said:
Despite me insisting she couldn’t be pregnant, the paramedics were certain she was, and to my shock a bump had appeared at her stomach.
They think the ferocity of the seizures could have caused the baby to move, making it suddenly visible.
Sheree was the first person to hold the baby after she was born, but described it as a ‘worrying’ time because her own daughter remained in a coma.
When Ebony finally woke up on December 6, the nurses informed her she’d given birth and put the baby on her chest so they could bond.
The 18-year-old described the moment she woke up:
When I woke up I remember the nurses telling me I had a baby, and before I knew it they’d put her on my chest. It sounds awful now, but I asked them to take her away as I was so confused and sure they’d made a mistake.
But my mum explained it all to me while the nurses were there and they gave my little girl back to me to hold properly for the first time. Although I was so confused – and pretty scared – it was a beautiful moment and she was so quiet.
Due to the healthy weight of her little girl, doctors think Ebony carried her to full term – despite having no idea she was even pregnant, or that she had two uteruses.
Ebony and Elodie stayed in intensive care for nearly two weeks until they could return home on December 13.
The teenager plans to go back to college in February, with her mum taking care of the baby while she’s studying.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).