A woman was shocked to discover she was having a baby when she used her iPhone camera to investigate what was happening down below.
Earlier this year, 24-year-old Charlotte Dubard was simply going about her day when she suddenly felt a series of abdominal pains.
She couldn’t figure out what was wrong, so she used her phone to take a video and was stunned to see the baby’s hair sprouting from between her legs.
Charlotte, who works as a waitress, had no idea she was pregnant. Although she’d put on around 11lbs and developed a sugar craving, the 24-year-old had remained a size 8-10 and continued having periods despite taking the contraceptive pill.
Throughout the nine months in which she unknowingly carried the child, Charlotte drank, smoked and worked 14 hour days.
She recalled the moment she started having stomach pains, saying:
One evening, I started to get cramps but they were really quite mild – milder than my usual period pains.
Then the next day they continued and they kept coming and going in waves which I now realise were my contractions.
Charlotte had to rely on instinct as she went through labour and gave birth in the bathtub, alone and without the help of painkillers.
She found a pair of nail scissors and cut the umbilical cord, before calling her boyfriend of nearly three years, Miguel Angel.
The 28-year-old came home from work, but understandably he struggled to believe the baby really belonged to he and Charlotte.
The waitress explained:
When Miguel came home, he screamed ‘Oh my god you found a baby in the street!’
I started bawling and said ‘This is ours’. He was in shock. Neither of us could believe it was ours.
The couple took the newborn, named Elias, to the hospital, where he was put in intensive care for thorough checks.
Charlotte was in shock after the unexpected experience, and admitted it took her some time to really take in what had happened.
The 24-year-old explained:
It was only once we got to the hospital that I really registered what had happened. I was so traumatised from the birth I had barely registered Elias at all.
But then when we were waiting for the doctor, Miguel said ‘Look he has your nose’ and that’s when I suddenly realised he was ours.
Although she was taking the contraceptive pill, Charlotte admitted there were a couple of times she’d forgotten to take it around the time Elias was presumably conceived.
The new mum continued:
I call him my miracle baby because he is so healthy after all I put him through.
Also, so many things could have gone wrong with me giving birth alone but it all went remarkably smoothly.
Despite welcoming a new little family member, Charlotte didn’t tell her mother about Elias straight away.
Charlotte said:
I waited until the next day and she was so shocked.
But my family have been so supportive, they’re very strict Catholics and they see Elias as a miracle. My grandmother says he is a little angel.
Thankfully, the 6lbs 8oz baby was healthy and happy. Charlotte’s mother set up a GoFundMe to help raise money for the new parents, which you can donate to here.
Welcome to the world, Elias!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.