What can you do in 20 minutes?...
Go for a run?
Do a test?
Drive to the shops?
Yes, absolutely all of those things! But to become a mum in 20 minutes? Surely not!
So i've had a lot of interest and LOTS of questions into how my suspected appendicitis became one of the most beautiful blessings I could've recieved.
Ok, then grab a seat and listen carefully.
My name is Anna Reed, and I am a 21 year old dancer/dance teacher/choreographer. I have been dancing and performing since I was 3 years old so it is all I have ever known. I train and teach at my studio throughout the week delivering classes to children from 2.5 years upwards.
*Feel free to check us out at Dimensions Dance 😉
Throughout 2015, I had completed many projects, performances and opportunities that I was grateful came my way. I was travelling to London every Monday to train and getting the 11.00pm night coach home, getting me back to Darlington for 4.30am 😣.
Ok, so skip forward a few months. On the 2nd January 2016, I was at home celebrating New Year with my family - My Mum, Gill and younger sister, Kat.
There'd been abit of illness going around and I wasn't feeling particularly great but I'm the type of person to keep going and not get dragged down by aches and illnesses. It got to around 6.00pm, we'd eaten and I wasn't feeling 100%, went for a lie down and fell asleep hoping to shake it off. When I woke at around 10.30, the pains and aches hadn't gone and by this point I knew something wasn't right. I had these excruciating pains, almost like toothache right by where my appendix where, so got myself up and asked my mum if she would run me round to A&E (very rare of me!). So she knew something was wrong, and the pain I was in so did I!
So we rushed round to a&e leaving Kat and Steve (our black pug) at home. We arrived at A&E where I was examined and as we all suspected it was my appendix! So here arrives the surgeon gowned up ready to whisk me down for emergency surgery to remove my appendix with a consent form. He took his pen and paper and finally asked me... "Miss Reed, is there any chance you could be pregnant, I have to ask because of your age".
At this point, i'm in my skinny jeans showing absolutely NO signs of pregnancy. I'd danced and trained for the past 9 months, had no bump and showed no symptoms of pregnancy. So I looked at him, laughed and said "No way". Much to the amusement of the nurses, they laughed between themselves at him. So he brings out an ultrasound machine to check my stomach - 'JUST AS A PRECAUTION' and the whole room went silent, as this vivid heartbeat echoed the whole room. So I have a whole room of medical staff looking at me open mouth as this heartbeat still was loud and clear in the room. The surgeon said to me, "Miss Reed, i think i better take some measurements"... "measurements, for what" I said.
He looked at me and said, "Miss Reed, i think you're around 37 weeks pregnant and this baby is on it's way now"
How can I get taken in with suspected appendicitis to being in labour and about to have a baby i knew NOTHING about?!
So there I was being rushed upto the maternity ward, I arrived being bombarded with questions about midwives, notes and hospital bags. I HAD NONE!
I HAD NO MIDWIFE, NO NOTES AND CERTAINLY NO HOSPITAL BAG!
So there I was being examined to find I was 10cm dilated and my waters had broken. I looked at my mum and said "what does that mean"... ( i was THE most unmaternal person) and she replied "PUSH!"
So there I was 20 minutes later, with a newborn baby girl in my arms.... My daughter! She was born at 11.47pm on the 2nd January 2016 weighing 7lbs 13oz. Turns out she's brilliant at hiding 😉
This was the most surreal, most scariest and mindblowing situation I have ever been in but I guess it's true what they say, everything happens for a reason. ❤