A student who had no idea she was pregnant until she gave birth in the hospital restroom welcomed her “miracle” baby – but shook her GP for seemingly missed chances to notice she was expecting.
Lalen Malik was rushed to Northwick Park Hospital in north-west London by his family after suffering excruciating stomach pain at home in Greenford, west London, on March 26.
The 23-year-old woman, who said she was prescribed the birth control pill five months earlier and took two negative pregnancy tests in February, said she should have constipation.
Two-week-old baby Mohamed Ibrahim is sleeping in his mother’s arms at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow.
(PA)
But her mother, Sumra, had an “intuition” that something was wrong when her daughter began to cry in pain after going to the hospital bathroom while waiting to be seen and alerting nearby doctors, she said. Malik.
Mrs. Malik was about to blush when baby Mohamed Ibrahim’s little hand was spotted in the bowl, making her terrified that her and her son’s lives were in danger. She believes the baby may have been trapped for up to seven minutes before being rescued by medics.
“I was gone. My mind was empty. I was put in another room because I was obviously crying and my mother was crying. It was a complete shock and trauma for both of us and I felt my life was in danger,” she said.
(My mother) started crying and (said), “Don’t you know you have a baby?” I’ve been pale ever since.
Doctors who removed the baby said he “looks lifeless” and is not breathing, but resuscitation efforts have been successful.
Dr Eva Grokholski, who helped save Ibrahim by compressing his chest after removing it from the cup, said it was “the most amazing experience of (her) medical career”.
“Fortunately, we caught him in time,” she told the PA news agency.
Ms. Malik went to A&E with stomach cramps on March 26 and gave birth to her baby in the restrooms because she did not know she was pregnant and without any physical signs of pregnancy.
(PA)
“I have never seen (a baby born) in such circumstances. I’ve seen young ladies like Lalene before they came to A&E without knowing they were pregnant and giving birth in the A&E department, but it’s always been safer. He was in bed or it was slower, so we would notice they were giving birth before it happened. “
She described Ms Malik as a “hero” and said it was “unbelievable” that she had given birth, even though she did not know about the pregnancy in advance.
Ibrahim was born full-term and is now healthy after being given oxygen and closely monitored by hospital staff.
Ms. Malik described her son as a miracle baby, but blamed her family doctor, Elm Trees Surgery in Greenford, for failing to perform proper tests that could reveal she was pregnant.
“If I knew I was pregnant, I would appreciate those moments of shopping, preparing things for the baby,” she said. Her husband was abroad at the time and in “complete shock” when he learned of the birth, Ms Malik added.
Nurse Helen Flanagan holds two-week-old baby Mohamed Ibrahim at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow
(PA)
The student, who is pursuing a master’s degree in international relations at Roehampton University, said she had no plans to have a child and took the pill from October to January after being prescribed by a doctor.
She said she returned to her GP several times after experiencing symptoms, including weight gain and shortness of breath, and stopped taking contraceptives.
Ms Malik said she was given a blood test in surgery in March, but later said she had failed and the results were not available.
“I called three days later and they said, ‘Oh, we can’t find anything because the person who took the blood test didn’t shake it properly, so come back three to six months later,’ she said.
Mrs. Malik wanted to complete her master’s degree in international relations, but life had other plans
(PA)
Two weeks later, Ibrahim was born, Ms. Malik said, praising doctors and nurses at Northwick Park Hospital for their efforts to heal him.
The mother added: “It’s a blessing and I’m happy for the baby, but honestly, the operation had to say something because I told them I was married and wanted to progress with my masters.”
She said she was determined to complete her university course, but had to postpone it until July to take care of little Ibrahim.
Operation Elm Trees said Ms. Malik’s experience fell below expected standards of care and the matter would be investigated.
The practice said in a statement: “We are very sorry to learn about Ms. Malik’s experience, it is below the standards of care we expect from our services. Please rest assured that this issue will be fully investigated. “
PA
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