A 17 year old secretly gave birth at home and then walked to the hospital. Thank goodness they are both doing well. The girl is a sophomore and her Mother did not know she was pregnant. Yikes. She gave birth to the baby boy in the shower as she was getting ready for school at 5am. The story is below. I know it can happen and it does, but it boggles my mind - how can you not know your child is pregnant?
Girl carries secret baby to hospital, still attached
LONG BEACH, California (AP) -- A 17-year-old girl gave birth secretly at home, then walked four blocks to a hospital with the baby still attached by its umbilical cord.
Xochitl Parra holds newborn Alejandro, as her sister, left, a nurse and Parra's mother pose with her Saturday.
"I was just a little nervous" when the labor began, Xochitl Parra said Friday from St. Mary Medical Center as she cradled her 8-pound, 3-ounce son, Alejandro.
The boy was normal and "eating like a champ," said Dr. Jose Perez, director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
The teenager said she was alone and taking a shower around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday to get ready for school. Then the contractions took over.
"I felt his head coming, so I sit down and pushed so he could come out," she said.
Parra did not call 911 because the home phone was disconnected, and she did not want to wake the neighbors because it was so early. Instead, she wrapped the baby, got dressed and went to the hospital on foot.
"I started walking and jogging to the hospital," she said.
The teen came into the hospital lobby and asked for help, Perez said.
"She still had the placenta and the baby was still attached, so of course everyone said, 'Don't move!' " he said.
Perez praised the girl for taking quick action.
"They could have bled to death; thank God that didn't happen," the doctor said. "She was very clever. She knew what to do. She wrapped the baby up and walked over here."
Parra, a sophomore at Long Beach Poly High, said she kept her pregnancy a secret because she was afraid her mother would "kick me out of the house." Her mother has now accepted the situation and is going to help the teen care for the baby so she can continue attending school, Parra said.
Perez called the outcome "heartwarming."
"We hear so much negative with teenagers throwing their babies in the Dumpsters," he said. "This baby is fine, and hopefully there will be a happy ending with the extended family." E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
KarilouMomof2 is a discussion leader for arizonamoms.com living in Tempe. Her daughters are 9 and 6.
It is surprising that her
It is surprising that her mom didn't notice that her daughter was pregnant. I'm glad the girl had enough sense to go to the hospital and not try and get rid of the baby like many others have done.
jesshod is an arizonamoms.com discussion leader living in Surprise.
Good for her for knowing
Good for her for knowing what to do, but how sad she couldn't tell her mom. I think it is great that she took care of herself and her baby by taking them to the hospital, and thank goodness nothing bad happened to them. I can't believe that teenagers think they can't tell thier parents what is going on in thier lives. I guess it all worked out for the best.
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I just saw this on the TV.
I just saw this on the TV. They showed the girl and I can see where the mom might not have know. She just looked overweight really, not pregnant.
I agree it's nice to hear she went to the hospital for help. I wonder if the mom would have been as receptive without the publicity? I'd hope so.
I'm still trying to wrap my
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around delivering an 8 pound baby at home with no help - or epidural!
sure, fine, whatever
I agree, I'm not only trying
I agree, I'm not only trying to wrap my mind around 8 Ib baby with no epidural, no help...BUT to walk/jog to the hospital????!!
shocking!!!
Maybe labor isn't so hard on
Maybe labor isn't so hard on a young, 17-year-old body? :) I still recommend waiting to have babies, even if labor isn't so easy! That dear girl has a hard road ahead of her. Thank God she and the baby are OK.
Unless there is a gang of
Unless there is a gang of adolescent girls in the house, how did Mom not notice that somebody wasn't using feminine hygiene products? I mean, it only took my Auntie (who was so modest and prudish that she's said to have showered in her slip) a couple of weeks to notice that her son hadn't put any jockey shorts in the hamper, and tell him, in no uncertain terms, that he needed to wear underwear.
If my SD had gone past 45 days without dipping into the tampon box, I'd have taken her, without passing go, and without collecting $200, to the OB/GYN. She'd been regular for 2-3 years, so, either she would have been pregnant, or there would have been a problem.
I'm just flabbergasted that the new Mom's Mom had no clue. C'mon, your teenager isn't having periods, she's gaining weight like she's never gained before, and she's gone from showing her belly button to draping herself so that all you can see is her face and legs. And you never accidently checked on her in the shower or while dressing?
Heartwarming? Not so much. I'm horrified. No mention of the boy and his parents. And they're sending the girl and the baby back to her mother? To what?
Just the idea that a kid in America could give birth, walk to a hospital with the cord still attached, and believe that there wasn't a single person along the way, starting with her parents, whom she thought she could wake up early to ask for help.
Not to be stupid twice in the same day, but this just makes me cry.
While I hadn't thought of it
While I hadn't thought of it before, that's a VERY good point about the tampons/pads, etc.
How can you not notice that your child has not run out of them? After 3 months, after 6 months, longer...??
Unless you are buying a year's supply at Costco and just assume you only "stock up in August" - which, good grief, no one does!.... hmmm...
Grandma probably won't be too helpful; once the publicity dies away...which will be soon.
Ugh.
Happy2BMommy, is a stay-at-home mom who just turned 40 (argh!) with a 6 yr. old daughter and a 4 yr. old son, and is a discussion leader for arizonamoms.com living in Scottsdale.
"Heartwarming" just isn't
"Heartwarming" just isn't the word that leaps to mind. The teen's mom didn't even notice she was pregnant, but, hey, she's all for stepping up to take care of the baby? I'm not sure grandmom's a fit parent to begin with. Sad story.
Susan & Neil Hampton have three spectacular children, Alexander, Isabel and David, plus one amazing teenager, Eric. Susan does community outreach for arizonamoms.com.
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” - Margaret Atwood
Let me stress that I am very
Let me stress that I am very glad the girl had some sense not to hurt her baby and get herself and her baby to the hospital.We have all heard the horrific stories. As far as the mom not knowing, I had a friend years ago who's sister hid her pregnancy. She asked her mom to take her to the hospital for "back pain" then she gave birth to a 7lb baby as she walked into the hospital. She was a bit overweight and wore baggy clothing. I asked the same question about tampons and was told that since there was several girls in the house that used them it just went unnoticed. Good thing the baby is ok.
Wow, stories like this make
Wow, stories like this make me even more grateful for the relationship I have with my kids.
Wow.. Childbirth is among
Wow.. Childbirth is among one of the most painful things ever! I can't imagine just giving birth in the shower and not crying or screaming from the pain.
I am glad the girl didn't get rid of the baby.
I was really young when I
I was really young when I had my first baby. It was easy for me....I remember having back labor, but it wan't so bad. Maybe it is easier for a younger girl to give birth meaning a lot less screaming. I am not saying that girls should have babies young, I would never say that. But that could explain why she didn't make any noise.
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