Giving birth on the toilet: when you didn't know you were pregnant
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What sparked Erin’s unexpected bathroom birth story?
It was just a pushing feeling that I, like, I had to get something out. And that's when I was like, this is something that's going on here. And I was kind of like, surely I can't be pregnant. This is really weird. But that's all I can put it down to at that stage.
Warning, adult content. The Hookup. Love and ****ing on Triple
J.
Okay, I want you to imagine this. You get up one morning, you feel a little bit off. Your stomach's kind of cramping up, like maybe you have bad gastro or something. So you go to the bathroom, easy. But when you come out, you're holding a baby. Now, if you needed more of a twist than that, you had no idea you had been pregnant at all. Now, most people get about six months to prepare for a birth. But imagine having to come to terms with parenthood in the space of minutes. You didn't look pregnant. You didn't feel pregnant. And no one else could tell. But boom, sudden baby. Nat Tenchich here, and honestly, probably one of my worst recurring nightmares is the cryptic pregnancy, or stealth pregnancy if you're going to get all Tom Clancy about it.
It sounds like a freak occurrence, but they actually happen more often than you'd think, and we need to talk about them. It's something that happened to 23-year-old model Erin Langmaid. She told The Hookup's Dee Salmon what happened the day she met her baby Isla.
So I had a pretty bad migraine and I woke up feeling a bit groggy, I guess. And then I did have cramps and they were kind of quite painful, like not too bad, but they were a bit painful. So I was like, oh, I'm just going to call in sick to work today. And so I just put it down to, oh, yeah, like it must be anyway, period. So my periods are pretty regular. But when I do get my period, I get pretty bad cramps.
What happened when the pain started to become really bad for you?
How did Erin describe the sudden pain and pushing that led to the birth?
Like, what was that feeling like?
Oh, it's really hard to explain. It felt like someone was kind of, I don't know, squeezing, I guess, my insides a little bit and then it just stopped. Like the pain would just completely stop. So I was like, oh, okay, that's fine. This is a bit odd, but you know.
Yeah. Did you think at any point, like maybe I should call a doctor or maybe I should, you know, check this out a little bit further?
Yeah. So during the day, no. And then as I got to, you know, a bit later in the evening, I was like, oh, I'm not really feeling the best. I was like, I'll just see how I go in a couple of hours. And if not, I'll see if I can get like, get myself in somewhere. But yeah, it all seemed to have happened pretty quickly after that. So Didn't get to call the doctor. So what happened? Probably I'd say about eight o'clock is when I went and I was just felt like I needed to go to the toilet. So I kind of was there for a bit up and down in the bathroom and my partner was coming in checking on me like every like five, 10 minutes, 15 going, are you okay? Like you've been in here for a while. And I was like, yeah, no, no, like, I'll be fine.
I'm just feeling quite uncomfortable. And he was like, okay, like, you know, yard if you need anything. What was that feeling like? It was like, I didn't at that stage have any urge to, I guess, push, but it was just like, and just pain. It was just like a really kind of heavy pain. So that was the point that I'd be on the toilet. So I was like, I feel like I just need to go to the toilet. When it got to the point, it was about five, it was about five, 10 minutes before I actually, before I gave birth that it was just an intense pushing feeling. Like I had to get something out. And that's when I was like, this is something's going on here. And I was kind of like, surely I can't be pregnant. This is really weird, but that's all I can put it down to at that stage.
But I couldn't really yell out for Dan because I just, the pain was a bit too much and I just needed to get it kind of get, get whatever I had to done, I guess. So, within about 10 minutes she was born and that's when I yelled out, screamed out for Dan. So,
yeah. I can't even imagine what
was
going through your head at that point.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What sparked Erin’s unexpected bathroom birth story?
0:00–2:08
2
How did Erin describe the sudden pain and pushing that led to the birth?
2:08–4:28
3
What was Erin’s reaction when she realized a baby was born on the toilet?
4:28–9:00
4
How did Erin cope with the shock and fear of becoming a mother in minutes?
9:00–12:03
5
What are cryptic (stealth) pregnancies and why do they happen?
12:03–16:16
6
Which mental‑health and stress factors increase the risk of a cryptic pregnancy?
16:16–20:07
7
What support systems and coping strategies helped Erin after the birth?
20:07–22:54
8
What key takeaways does the episode offer for anyone who discovers they’re pregnant unexpectedly?
22:54–23:53