This Woman Thought She Had Kidney Stones—But She Was Actually Giving Birth: 'There's a Baby in the Toilet'

A new Massachusetts mom got the surprise of her life after what she thought were kidney stones turned out to be a sign she was in labor.

Melissa Surgecoff told NBC 10 Boston that she had no idea she was pregnant until she actually delivered her son...in the toilet. In fact, just before her son was born, Surgecoff's fiancé, Donnie Campbell, said he called 911 because he thought she was passing a kidney stone.

And then baby Liam arrived. "We were just kind of in shock and not expecting it, and all the sudden there's a baby in the toilet," Campbell said.

When EMTs arrived, they too were surprised by what they found. "They were looking for this kidney stone and it ended up being a baby," Surgecoff said.

Surgecoff explained that she couldn't believe she was pregnant for nine months without realizing it. She's always had an irregular menstrual cycle, she added, and she thought the flutters in her abdominal area she experienced during her pregnancy were just gas.

Surgecoff said she also gained a little weight, but she assumed that it was due to a new medication for her multiple sclerosis, which listed weight gain as a possible side effect.

The couple's 2020 wedding was delayed by the pandemic, she said, so they had decided to wait on their plans to start a family. "We always wanted our ducks in a row, we wanted to get married, we wanted to move out, we wanted to have the right jobs," she told the news outlet. Things just didn't work out according to plan.

But…how is it possible to be pregnant for nine months and not realize it?

There are a few explanations, ob-gyns previously told Health. One is that the symptoms of pregnancy—typically nausea, fatigue, and weight gain—can affect women differently. For some, these symptoms will be noticeable; for others, they may be minor.

Another is that not everyone has regular periods. And if you're used to your period taking a vacation, it might not raise a red flag when it's gone for an extended period of time.

There's even something called the "hook effect": when a pregnancy test might come back negative after the first trimester because levels of a pregnancy hormone can be so high, they basically overwhelm the test.

Finally, there can be some degree of denial involved, with a woman not knowing how to deal with pregnancy or feeling ashamed about it.

Despite the shock, Surgecoff and Campbell say they're excited to be parents. After spending a few days at the hospital, baby Liam is doing great. "It's amazing now," Surgecoff said. "I wouldn't change it for anything."

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter