SHANGHAI (SCMP): A woman in eastern China gave birth to a baby just four hours after she discovered she was pregnant.
News about the stunning delivery by the 36-year-old woman in Hangzhou in eastern Zhejiang province has captivated mainland social media.
According to a report by Chao News, the woman, surnamed Gong, went to Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital for treatment to a hypertension problem, only to be told that she was more than eight months pregnant.
She was shocked because doctors had told her she was sterile due to a womb syndrome.
Previously, Gong and her husband had enquired about the process of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and they were rejected by doctors who urged her to reduce her weight first.
Her specific weight was not given in the report, but it described Gong as being tall and fat, and addicted to eating desserts.
At the beginning of December, Gong suffered from numbness in her arms.
A physical check-up at a small clinic showed her blood pressure was extremely high, prompting her to seek treatment at a major health centre.
After hearing that Gong’s period had not come for many months, doctors at the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital arranged for her to undergo an ultrasonic examination which revealed she was carrying a baby.
Also, obstetricians said Gong’s condition was critical, so a caesarean section was carried out immediately, producing a baby boy weighing 2kg.
“There were only four hours from finding out I was pregnant to the birth of my baby,” a happy Gong was quoted as saying.
She is not the first such case received by the hospital.
Several years ago a 29-year-old woman weighing 100kg was admitted for surgery and was told that she was 23 weeks pregnant.
Yang Liwei, an obstetrician at the hospital, said some heavier women tend not to notice the body change caused by the pregnancy if their weight does not increase significantly.
In addition, some fetal movement is not obvious, she said.
“A weak pregnancy reaction is not necessarily a good thing,” Yang was quoted as saying.
“Women not knowing they are pregnant will not take a prenatal examination, which makes it hard to ensure the safety of both the mother and the baby.” - South China Morning Post
