Think your pregnancy or birth story is unique? Wait until you hear these strange tales of new life that we just had to share. Check out our favorite, completely compelling pregnancy stories and you'll be glad yours was just ho-hum. Click through the slideshow below.
10 Bizarre Pregnancy Stories
-
It's Magic
Famed illusionist David Blaine amazes audiences with his mastery of magic, but it was no illusion when his fiancee went into labor during a vicious snowstorm that paralyzed New York City. With 19 inches of snow piled up and more falling, Blaine was unable to find a cab—or any other mode of transportation—when his fiancee's water broke and her contractions started coming regularly. Having a recognizable face helped, and Blaine flagged down a snowplow and the driver delivered the couple to the hospital where their daughter was born shortly after they arrived.
-
A Long Wait
The oldest woman to give birth did so in 2008 at the age of 70. Throughout her 50 year marriage, Rajo Devi tried unsuccessfully to get pregnant. She and her husband thought that their dream was lost when Rajo went through menopause in her late 50s. A decade later, Rajo went through a program at an invitro clinic where she was impregnated via a donor egg fertilized with the sperm of her 72-year old husband. Nine months later after what Mrs. Devi has referred to as "an easy'' pregnancy, she gave birth to a healthy daughter.
The oldest surrogate? The Guinness Book of World Records awards that honor to 56 year old Jacilyn Dalenberg, who carried and had a cesarean delivery of triplet girls for her daughter Kim in 2004.
-
Sibling Arrival
According to the Journal of American Medicine. its possible—but extremely rare as there are only 10 reported cases globally—for a woman to get pregnant while already pregnant. Huh? The condition is called superfetation, and can happen if a pregnant woman continues ovulating after pregnancy. This came as a surprise to an Arkansas woman expecting a baby girl in 2006. At a check-up during her second trimester, the ultrasound showed a second smaller fetus, a baby boy. The children are not twins, just siblings, and are now healthy grade schoolers.
-
Heavyweight Champ
Pregnant mothers with gestational diabetes (diabetes that lasts for the term of the pregnancy) often have babies that are larger than normal becuase the fetus receives too much glucose while in the womb and grows larger and heavier.
That's exactly what happened to an Indonesian woman who gave birth in 2009. Her 19 pound son measured an astonishing 2 feet in length, making his size roughly equivalent to that of a normal 1-year old.
The heaviest known surviving baby born entered the world in September 1955 in Italy ... weighing in ata whopping 22 pounds and 8 ounces (ouch!).
-
Make It Stop
Ask any woman who has given birth and you're as likely as not to hear a harrowing tale of long and uncomfortable labor. All labor seems hard and long when it's happening to you, but as reported in Parenting an Illinois woman actually does have grounds to complain. The average active labor is about 6 - 12 hours for first-time moms, and 3 - 6 hours for veterans. In active labor for 22 straight hours with her second child, this woman was still only partially dilated and continued straining through contractions every few minutes for an additional 7 hours until she was ready to push. She finally delivered her healthy 9 pound 15 ounce son after a struggle that lasted a total of just over 29 hours.
-
Express Lane
When you're having a baby, there's no way to avoid labor, but it's a bonus if it's fast! Any labor that lasts under 2 hours is considered fast, with the downside being that when things move along this quickly there's a greater risk that tissue will tear or the expectant mom won't actually make it to the hospital in time. A New Hampshire woman went into labor at 3:30 in the morning, and the frequency of her contractions indicated that the birth was imminent. Knowing that he had to rush her to the hospital, her husband did just that—driving at 102 mph in a 55 mph zone, which caught the attention of the state trooper who pulled the couple over, immediately sized the situation up, and gave them a lights-and-sirens-blazing escort to the hospital. The baby arrived right after them, born just 6 minutes later.
-
The Pregnant Man
In 2008, a man named Thomas Beatie became instantly famous when he announced to the world that he was pregnant! Beatie was born a female, but underwent transgender surgery to have his breasts removed. No surgery was performed on his genitals, and he then took very high doses of testosterone for 10 years. Doctors were skeptical that someone with this medical history could get pregnant or carry a child to term, but Beatie and his wife soon welcomed a healthy baby that they named Susan. Now Beatie and his wife are divorcing, he has undergone extensive additional surgery and has a penis, is a single parent raising three children, and is seriously dating a new woman with whom he hopes to have his fourth child.
-
Sympathy Pains
Even physicians at the famed Mayo Clinic aren't sure if Couvade Syndrome is even real. Some husbands experience what is commonly referred to as a "sympathetic pregnancy" when their partners are expecting, and the condition comes with similar symptoms to those a pregnant woman endures: bloated stomach, heartburn, nausea, urinary tract irritations, mood swings, morning sickness, and even labor pains. Psychological symptoms for the unlucky men who suffer from Couvade Syndrome range from anxiety, depression, and reduced libido to restlessness and changes in sleeping patterns.
-
Flush with Success
This bizarre but true birth story combines two interesting elements: a woman who didn't realize that she was pregnant, and a potty-break-turned-home-delivery!
A 32-year old Indiana woman was having regular periods and had even managed to shed 15 pounds in recent months. One day while cleaning her house she began to feel "a little crampy" and had to go to the bathroom. As soon as she sat on the toilet, she realized that the pain was turning into something more. Within 20 minutes, she knew what it was: her son was born right there. She wrapped the baby in towels and—trailing blood and with the umbilical cord still unclamped—she walked across the street to her neighbor's house. That neighbor, a medical technician, called paramedics who rushed mom and baby to an area hospital where they were examined and both pronounced healthy.
-
Hospital or Home Birth?
Maternity wards are the preferred place to give birth for most women, although some choose to deliver at home, most often with the help of a midwife. After all the Lamaze classes, and the lists and planning and packing and preparing for the big day, the best-laid plans can still go astray! Think travel is stressful? Women have given birth on planes, in airport bathrooms after exiting their flight, and frequently in cars (some driving themselves!) because they just ran out of time on their way to the hospital. A woman in England gave birth at the local post office ... a first class delivery! And one embarrassed mom-to-be was steps away from the hospital doors when her baby arrived on the sidewalk. The upside? These rush deliveries usually are the result of a very fast labor.
