Ally’s festive backflips triggered off more than a round of applause...
Hitting my alarm clock, I suddenly shot up from my bed.
‘Ouch,’ I winced, rubbing my tummy.
I hadn’t had a period for months, which was really common for me. But when I went to the toilet, I noticed some light spotting.
I powered through the pain and set out for cheerleading practice — I was a college student and, although the term had ended for Christmas, I coached other kids in the holidays.
‘Let’s get started,’ I smiled to my students, trying to mask the pain I was feeling.
I wouldn’t let it stop me.
As I threw myself into all sorts of moves — including a backflip — the kids cheered. I’d always been the active type.
However, as the day unfolded, the pain worsened.
‘Use this hot-water bottle and take some painkillers,’ my mum Theresa said later that evening.
But it was no use.
I needed a distraction, so I even helped my dad David rearrange some furniture, including shifting the sofa.
‘Do you ever sit still?’ he chuckled.
But the next morning, I was in agony.
This period was certainly making up for lost time!
The pain was excruciating — however, it was also sporadic.
‘It comes and goes, like contractions,’ my mum said.
‘Mum, there’s no way I’m pregnant,’ I said. ‘For starters, my stomach is completely flat, and I’ve started my period.’
‘Chances are you’re not, but why not do a test just to be sure?’ she insisted.
I’d taken one when I’d missed a period in the past, and it was negative. But I did another anyway.
‘Negative again!’ I shouted down the stairs to Mum. ‘I told you so.’
But by midnight, the pain was debilitating.
‘There’s something seriously wrong,’ I cried to Mum.
‘Sweetie, let’s get you to the hospital,’ she replied.
Dad stayed at home while Mum took me there.
'Mum, there's no way I'm pregnant'
Once we’d arrived, I was seen straightaway.
A blood test showed that my white blood cell count was extremely high.
‘You have some sort of infection,’ said the doctor. ‘I also believe you have kidney stones.’
However, after performing an abdominal examination, he looked alarmed.
‘There’s some sort of mass, so we need to perform an ultrasound,’ he explained.
A mass? I fretted. What kind of mass?
As the sonographer carried out the ultrasound, her jaw dropped.
What had she seen?
‘Could you be pregnant?’ she asked.
‘No way,’ I replied. ‘I’ve taken two tests, and both were negative.’
Back in a room with my doctor, a whole medical team emerged.
It must be something serious, I panicked.
‘Have you ever been pregnant before?’ the doctor asked.
‘No,’ I replied, my voice shaking.
‘It looks like you’re 38 weeks’ along,’ he revealed. ‘You’re completely dilated, and you’re going into labour.’
Now, it was my turn for my jaw to drop.
‘There’s no way!’ I exclaimed.
‘I can’t do this, I’m only 22 years old — I’m not prepared for having a baby!’
I had always wanted kids, but not at this point in my life.
‘Oh God, you haven’t… this isn’t…’ my mum stuttered.
But then she squeezed my hand.
‘Don’t worry, we’ll get through it,’ she said.
The ‘mass’ the doctor had felt was in fact my baby’s head.
It appeared I had been carrying the baby more towards my back — hence why I didn’t have a bump. The light spotting that I’d had was normal in labour.
Mum phoned my dad, and he made his way straight to the hospital.
But the time he arrived, I was being wheeled into the delivery room.
‘Sweetheart,’ my dad said, rushing through the doors.
Then the doctor examined me.
‘The baby is breach, and you have bad pre-eclampsia,’ he said.
He explained this was a condition that caused high blood pressure during pregnancy.
‘Your blood levels have skyrocketed, so we have to perform an emergency Caesarean,’ he added.
Only my mum was allowed to stay in the room with me. Then the medical team prepared me for the emergency delivery.
'Oh my God, this is real!'
‘You’re going to feel some pressure now, as we deliver the baby,’ said the doctor.
Mum held my hand tightly.
‘There’s no way I’m having a baby!’ I cried, still in denial.
But moments later, I heard a tiny little cry.
‘Oh my God, this is real!’ I shrieked.
As they lifted the tiny bundle in the air, I burst into tears — the happiest tears I’ve ever cried.
Immediately, my baby was taken away to be weighed and cleaned up.
Mum rushed over there to take photos and videos for me.
‘What is it?’ I called out.
‘It’s a boy,’ the doctor replied.
‘No way!’ my mum and I exclaimed.
This was the first boy born into our family for 43 years.
My parents had three girls, and all my cousins were female.
‘He’s certainly special,’ my mum cooed.
He weighed 7lb 8oz.
Just 30 minutes earlier, I’d been an ordinary 22-year-old struggling with what I’d thought were period pains.
Now, I had a son.
It was the most surreal moment of my life.
Then, the baby was brought over to me and placed on my chest.
‘Hello, my little Christmas surprise,’ I chuckled through my tears.
I was instantly overcome by a rush of love.
I couldn’t believe I was cheerleading, doing backflips and moving sofas the day before I’d given birth.
When I was wheeled back into the hospital room, my dad was waiting there for us.
‘Meet your grandson,’ I beamed.
‘Wow!’ he said, grinning from ear to ear.
It was his first grandchild, and after having three daughters he was ecstatic to have a little boy in the family.
Soon, my sisters Kristie and Katie arrived, and they helped me pick a name.
‘I actually have a list of baby names on my phone,’ I confessed.
‘Get out of here, so do I,’ Katie said.
‘No way, me too!’ Kristie gasped.
‘I’ve always loved the name Owen,’ I said.
And so, for the first hour, that’s what I called him.
But for some reason, it just wouldn’t stick.
‘How about Oliver?’ Kristie suggested after a while.
‘I really like that,’ I replied. ‘Let’s try it.’
Then I smiled at my baby boy.
‘Hey, Oliver,’ I said.
It suited him perfectly.
Relatives popped to the shops to buy us a car seat, babygros and nappies.
I was so grateful.
Two days later was Christmas Day. Oliver and I stayed in hospital, and my parents brought Christmas dinner in for me and the nurses.
‘It’s not our typical Christmas, but it’s definitely my favourite one yet,’ Mum smiled.
Then, I received a text.
Are our New Year’s Eve plans still going ahead? my best friend wrote, who had no idea I had given birth.
I’ve actually just had a baby, I messaged back.
WHAT? I don’t believe you, you weren’t pregnant! she replied.
So, I sent her a photo of Oliver with his hospital wrist band on.
Oh my God! This is amazing! she replied.
On Boxing Day, Oliver and I were allowed to go back home.
It was time to start the next chapter of my life as a mum.
Living with my parents was incredible, as they were so hands-on and helpful with little Oliver.
Now, Oliver is the most adventurous and active kid I’ve ever known. I guess he takes after his mum!
Ally Opfer, 27