Chloe thought she just needed the loo, but she got the shock of her life…
As I held my gorgeous, newborn baby boy in my arms, I felt blessed to have two children at last.
‘I think this one has to be it now, though,’ I said to my fella, Billy, 33.
There were seven years between baby Zach and his big sister, Bella, and it had been a tough pregnancy.
I’d suffered terribly from morning sickness and fatique, and couldn’t imagine going through it all again.
Plus, I planned to return full time to my job as a teaching assistant at Bella’s primary school.
A third child would just tip the balance.
As the weeks and months passed, however, I didn’t feel like I did after having Bella.
I exercised at the gym and ate healthily, but try as I might, I couldn’t seem to lose the baby weight.
What’s more, I started to get pains in my tummy and felt constantly uncomfortable and constipated.
‘Thank goodness I have a GP appointment tomorrow,’ I said to Billy one evening when Zach was 13 months old. ‘I haven’t been to the loo for days!’
‘Will you be OK to take your class on the school trip tomorrow?’ he asked, laughing.
‘Oh gosh, I hope so,’ I replied. ‘As long as I don’t have a call of nature during the walk!’
The following day, I felt no better but somehow managed to trek the three miles around the park with my year four class.
We’d just got back to school at 2.45pm when my mobile rang, and it was the doctor.
‘Don’t worry, I’ll prescribe you some laxatives,’ she said.
I knew I wouldn’t have time to pick up the prescription until the following day, so I just hoped nature would take its course before then.
'You're going to have to catch it?'
Sitting down, I winced in pain, willing the time to pass so I could get home.
Finally, it was 3.20pm and I went to fetch Bella from her class.
‘Come on darling, we need to collect Zach and then get home quickly,’ I said, helping her put on her coat.
With the pains getting worse, I hurried as fast as I could to Zach’s nursery, which was a 10-minute walk away.
When I arrived, I gulped as I looked up the stairs.
How am I going to walk all the way up there? I thought, groaning in agony.
Somehow, I struggled to the top and walked into the baby room, where Zach was waiting for me.
‘Hello, darling,’ I said picking him up and hugging him.
I struggled back down, strapped him in his buggy, and paused for a few seconds before we set off.
‘Come on, Bella, let’s get home,’ I said. ‘Mummy’s in a bit of pain.’
She squeezed my hand and stroked my arm.
‘Are you OK, Mummy?’ she asked, looking up at me.
‘I’ll be fine, don’t you worry,’ I tried to reassure her.
I just need to go to the loo, I thought.
‘Nearly there,’ I said as we turned into our road.
As soon as we got through the front door, I put Zach in his Jumperoo.
‘Can you sit with Zach?’ I said to Bella.
I dashed to the bathroom, but nothing happened.
Struggling back to the bedroom, it was beginning to dawn on me as I lay down that this was not simply a case of needing the toilet.
I dialled my mum Wendy’s number.
‘I need someone to look after the kids, I’m in so much pain’ I said.
‘I’m at work, but Dad’s home,’ she said. ‘I’ll call him.’
Luckily, Mum and Dad only lived a five-minute drive away.
Mum told me to dial 111 and ask them for advice.
‘I’m in agony. I don’t know what’s happening,’ I told the woman on the phone.
‘Is there any chance you could be pregnant?’ she asked.
‘No!’ I cried. ‘Definitely not. It feels as though my bowels are about to come out!’
‘We’ll send an ambulance, but we don’t know how long it’ll take,’ she warned.
Just then, I heard Bella opening the front door and the sound of my dad Steve’s voice.
Thank goodness, I thought.
The pain had steadily got worse.
It had been coming in waves, but now it was continuous.
This feels like labour pains, but it can’t be, I thought.
Dad went straight to look after Zach, as I carried on begging the 111 operator for help.
Time seemed to pass in a blur before there was another knock at the door, and I heard Dad let Mum in.
‘Are you OK?’ she asked, hurrying into the bedroom.
‘No, I can’t bear it,’ I replied.
‘I’ll try to get hold of someone to have the kids,’ she added, heading into the lounge.
What seemed like minutes later, I felt a pain like no other and something coming out of me.
Panicking, I looked down.
‘Mum, there’s a head!’ I screamed.
Mum came running back into the bedroom while on the phone to the ambulance.
‘What shall I do?’ I cried.
‘There’s a head!’ repeated Mum to the person on the phone.
‘My daughter’s having a baby and we didn’t know,’ she babbled. ‘Please get an ambulance here as soon as you can!’
Instinctively, I managed to get myself on to all fours on the bed.
‘You’re going to have to catch it!’ I said to Mum.
All of a sudden, I felt the urge to push.
The baby shot out and Mum caught it.
‘It’s a girl,’ she said, clearly overcome.
Still on the phone to the operator, Mum dashed to the bathroom to get some towels.
‘They said we need to keep her warm.’
The next few minutes passed in a daze as Mum scooped up the baby and put her on my chest, covering her with a towel.
Relief, but also disbelief washed over me, as I stared at this little person who had made such a dramatic appearance.
She had a mass of dark hair, and despite my shock, I fell instantly in love.
‘I need to call Billy!’ I said suddenly.
He was at work at the Royal Mail, which wasn’t far away.
‘Thank goodness it’s a girl. He always wanted another one!’ I laughed.
I dialled his number shakily.
‘Hello,’ he said.
‘I’ve just had a baby,’ I blurted out.
‘What? Are you joking?’ he replied. ‘I’m coming home.’
Not long after, Billy rushed through the door, and was as surprised and delighted as I was.
‘Is Bella OK?’ I asked him.
She came in and I showed her the baby, but she was clearly traumatised.
‘I’m never having a baby!’ she said.
I hoped she didn’t think they were always born so quickly and unexpectedly!
Paramedics checked over our new daughter, and half an hour later, Billy and I went with her in an ambulance, while Mum and Dad stayed with the others.
At the hospital, they told us the baby was full term and weighed 7lb 8oz.
How could I not have known?
Looking at her, I was overwhelmed with joy and love.
‘Let’s call her Poppy,’ I said.
Doctors carried out checks over the next three days and declared her perfectly healthy.
Now, life is busier than ever with eight-year-old Bella, two-year-old Zach, and Poppy, who is eight months old.
Our surprise addition is a smiling bundle of joy, and we all adore her.
But we’ve definitely called it quits on adding any more babies to our family — unplanned or otherwise!
Chloe Andrews, 33, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey