She Thought She Couldn't Conceive but Finds Out She's Pregnant and Then Has Baby Hours Later

It's hard to imagine a mother who didn't know she was pregnant until labor. But that's just what happened to a 43-year-old widow, Erin O'Malley. But despite the obvious shock, she considers her miracle baby a complete blessing!

Erin O'Malley always dreamed of becoming a mom. But as life went by, she didn't know if she'd ever get pregnant. And it seemed as though her path to motherhood wouldn't involve the traditional means.

At 16, doctors diagnosed her with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a disorder that is the most common cause of infertility in females.

RELATED: Mom Didn’t Know She Was Pregnant With 3rd Baby Until She Gave Birth In The Shower

Though PCOS is treatable and women with it can sometimes get pregnant, Erin was under the impression the odds were incredibly low for her. She and her husband tried. She even became pregnant twice. But both pregnancies resulted in miscarriages. And then, when her husband passed away, Erin gave up on pregnancy as a path to motherhood.

Erin instead turned childcare into her profession, working as a professional babysitter. As her sister, Donna, struggled with addiction, Erin took in her sister's children, Mateo and Eva, eventually gaining full custody of her niece and nephew.

"This is what you were meant to do. You were supposed to be there for them," she told herself.

Erin welcomed Mateo and Eva into her heart and home and accepted this as her means of becoming a mom.

"This is as close to mothering as I’m going to get," she decided.

Mother Didn't Know She Was Pregnant Has Baby

Though Erin never thought she'd be able to conceive, deep down she still longed to have her own baby.

“I’ve raised kids, and I have kids,” she said. “But they’re not mine. And so it’s not the same thing. … That’s always been lacking.”

But then, just one year after the tragic death of Donna, what Erin believed impossible occurred. Against all odds, Erin finds out she's pregnant. And an even greater shock was that she was about to have her baby!

By this point in her life, Erin O'Malley had given up on having a baby. And when her monthly cycle stopped coming, she assumed she'd gone into early menopause just like the other women in her family.

Months later, allergies and asthma sent Erin into an intense coughing fit in which she said, "I felt my stomach tear." She called an ambulance and doctors treated her cough.

Back home, Erin actually found herself losing weight. She then assumed she had a stomach hernia when her belly button popped out.

RELATED: Mom Who Didn’t Know She Was Pregnant Delivers Rare Set Of Twins

"I wasn’t really eating very much," she said. "I could only eat just a little bit at a time because my stomach would swell."

She attributed the swelling and feelings in her stomach to a hernia. And it wasn't until seeking medical help for the medical discomfort that the mother who didn't know she was pregnant found out the truth!

As doctors investigated Erin O'Malley's stomach issues, they passed her around to different specialists. And it wasn't until one conducted an ultrasound to check for cancer that they discovered the true cause of her discomfort. The mother who didn't know she was pregnant was having a baby!

Woman Finds Out She's Pregnant, Then Has Baby Hours Later

After the ultrasound, doctors went off to discuss the results. And at that point, the mother still didn't know she was pregnant. The medical staff's behavior had her worried they'd found something seriously wrong with her. So when they all returned to the room, Erin braced for bad news.

"There’s a baby in there," her doctor said.

The news floored Erin. She had been convinced it was impossible for her to conceive a child.

“I really didn’t know -- I definitely was not trying to hide it in any kind of way,” she explained. “I just did not know. In any way."

But the doctors had another shocking revelation for her.

RELATED: Mom Had No Idea She Was Pregnant, Then Gave Birth On Sidewalk

"Your blood pressure’s up, you’re full-term based on the ultrasound," said her doctor, Dr. Reynolds. "It’s time to deliver."

And just like that, a mother who didn't know she was pregnant was having a baby!

Erin O'Malley gave birth to her daughter, Lennox (Lenni) Mae, at 4:30 am the next morning. Her family gathered at the hospital and remained in awe over their surprise miracle, which came a year after the tragic death of Erin's sister, Donna.

"So it was one year to the day after my sister died when we found we have this new life in our family. It’s wonderful," Erin's other sister, Amber, said.

Unexpected Blessing For Mother Who Didn't Know She Was Pregnant

Even though the mother didn't know she was happy, she's "beyond happy" to have her baby girl. The baby's father is a man Erin had been "very close to for years." However, he is no longer involved in her's or Lenni's life.

Erin says "maybe things will change" with Lenni's father. But even if it doesn't, she's grateful to be a mom.

"I have been given the greatest gift he could have ever possibly given me — even if he didn’t intend it," she said. "It’s not gonna be easy. I’m tired ... but I don’t care how tired I am. This is the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me. And I couldn’t be anything but grateful.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Woman Didn’t Know She Was Pregnant, Gives Birth on Plane Filled with All the Right People

Sometimes God gives us just what we need when we least expect it, even if we didn't know we needed it! 

LISTEN: Mom Gives Birth To 16th Baby, Wants More Kids | The 11-Lb Newborn Went Straight Into Toddler Clothes

h/t: Daily Mail

Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Daily Mail

Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!