The young couple claimed they had no idea they were pregnant. Photo / Go Fund Me
The young couple claimed they had no idea they were pregnant. Photo / Go Fund Me
A US couple have been handed a totally new life after the wife was rushed to the emergency department with suspected kidney stones last month.
Grace Mawn and her husband Bryson, both 20, had just finished dinner with their friends in Louisiana when she felt sharp pains in her stomach.
Speaking to local news outlet KSLA12, Bryson, who works in the US air force, said after the couple left dinner, he decided to drive his wife to the hospital.
"I told her, 'OK, you probably have kidney stones, you're going to be fine'," he said.
The pair drove to their local hospital while Grace's stomach pain steadily increased.
Simply believing she had been passing kidney stones, Grace and Bryson were confused when the attending doctor couldn't figure out the reason for her pain.
"The doctor then requested for Grace to lay on her back for a ladies' exam," Bryson said. "The second she laid down her water broke."
Seconds later, doctors and nurses flooded the room and "everyone but myself and Grace knew what to do".
The couple were left completely speechless when doctors told them the pain Grace was experiencing was, in fact, active labour.
The baby girl gave her parents the shock of their lives. Photo / Facebook
Grace gave birth to their daughter Micaela at 3am the following day.
Bryson said the moment he heard his little girl cry, he felt a flood of emotion and uncertainty.
"When I stared at my little girl's face, this overpowering love, compassion and shock went through every ounce of my being," he said.
"We never had the opportunity to discover my wife was pregnant, have a baby shower, have a gender reveal or prepare to raise a child."
Grace maintained she had no idea she was pregnant until the very last moment.
"I never felt her move during the pregnancy, I never had cravings and I never had morning sickness," Grace said.
"Looking back now, I did put on a little bit of weight, but it wasn't noticeable weight, so I didn't ever think about it."
Living in a one-bedroom apartment, with a few hundred dollars in their savings account, the couple were not at all prepared to bring a baby into the world.
"That's a scary feeling to know we had no safety net," Bryson said.
My beautiful baby girl just started feeding off a bottle and is doing so well!! We are so proud of you Micaela and can’t wait to bring you to your new home
The new dad set up a Go Fund Me page, telling the world his job in the air force and Grace's former job at a local fast-food restaurant were not enough to support a new baby.
"We didn't have months to save up money and prepare for a baby, so we both ask from the bottom of our hearts for some help," he wrote.
The page has since raised more than $7000, well over the couple's initial $5000 goal.
They also told local media that gifts continued to arrive at their home every day.
"Whenever I look at her, I think how the heck did that happen?" Grace said.
"But I'm super grateful, and I love her to death, so I'm happy."
