‘I had no idea I was pregnant – and gave birth on the kitchen floor'

Claire Wiseman, 27, a bartender from Oxford, was left stunned when what she thought were agonising period pains turned out to be the early stages of labour

- KATIE TREHARNE

Jolting upright in bed, I clutched my stomach in agony. It felt like something was tugging on my insides. Groaning, I realised my period was nearly due. My cramps always came the week before like clockwork.

It was the middle of the night in April 2018 and my boyfriend Ben, then 21, was fast asleep beside me. Ben and I had been together for a year and he was great with my daughter Millie, then aged just one. As I tossed and turned in bed, it was impossible to fall back to sleep.

Ben stirred beside me. “What’s the matter?”

“I have a stomach ache,” I mumbled, rolling on to my belly. Ben softly rubbed my back, but nothing helped to relieve my cramps.

Four hours later, my alarm went off and I was still wide awake and in pain. Ignoring the cramps, I got out of bed, pulled on my size 10 jeans and got ready to pick up Millie from her dad’s house.

When we got back home, we played all morning, but as I put Millie down for her midday nap, I felt exhausted and nauseous. I climbed into bed and fell asleep.

An hour later, I woke up in excruciating pain. My cramps had never been this bad before. I began to feel feverish and hoped I wasn’t coming down with a stomach bug.

I plodded to the bathroom and sat on the toilet. When I peered down at my knickers, I realised they were soaked in blood, but there was too much for a period.

Panicking, I grabbed my phone and texted my mum, Angie, 56, asking for her help. “I’m bleeding heavily. I don’t know what to do,” I messaged her. I then sent the same text to Ben. Within minutes, Mum called me.

“Mum, this isn’t right,” I groaned, feeling light-headed. “It could be a cyst,” she soothed. “Don’t worry, I’m coming there now.”