So much for a little tummy bug. That's what backpacker Lena suspected was ailing her as she keeled over in a hostel bathroom. Much to her surprise, she was in the thralls of active labour. Soon after, out came baby Bethany.
"I honestly had no idea I was pregnant, none at all. I thought I had a gastro bug," said the 37-year-old new mom. "I just remember sitting on the toilet thinking I was going to die from gastro, it was terrible. Then all of a sudden, I pushed and she just came out."
A few years prior, doctors had told Lena she was suffering from early menopause and that her chances of having children were slim. So she stuffed her backpack and went travelling around Australia.
"I just assumed I couldn't have a baby ...so that was the end of that," she said, putting her small pot belly down to "eating a lot of noodles lately".
Oblivious to her dramatic entrance, baby Bethany later moved to Manly Hospital in Sydney, and is thriving.
While Lena might have had the shock of her life, she wasn't the only one. The two Frenchmen sharing her hostel room, having no idea that their roomie was expecting, were taken aback by the cries of a newborn. Then Mathieu Caron and Antoine Flinois called for help.
"Wow, it was pretty full on. I was shaking afterwards," said Caron.
"I have had absolutely no preparation, none at all ... but it's OK, we'll make it work," Lena said.
Boggles the mind how a woman goes into labour not knowing she's pregnant. Lena, your real adventure is just beginning. Best of luck!
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