When a woman unknowingly gave birth on her toilet, what looked like an afterbirth left her in pieces.
In the early hours of the morning, Claire Evans felt an urgent need to use the bathroom. Then, as serious pain took hold, she knew that something wasn’t right. Even so, the young woman never anticipated what was about to happen, and before long, there would be some shocks in store for her and her partner.
Claire, from Stoke-on-Trent in England, was in her twenties at the time, but she experienced severe cramping. Even prior to that, though, she had faced some pretty tough times. In 2000, when she was just 19 years old, Claire had woken up to discover that her right hand seemingly wasn’t functioning. She was neither able to write nor pick up even the lightest of objects, and as Claire’s condition didn’t improve, she went to a doctor. After consulting a medical professional, she received a devastating diagnosis: Claire had multiple sclerosis (MS), which is typically brought on by the deterioration of the central nervous system. It’s a permanent condition with no known cure.
Naturally, being diagnosed with MS at such a young age was hard for Claire. Although she ultimately regained her mobility, there was always the fear that the condition would flare up again. As a result, Claire wondered if her MS would ultimately impact whether she would find a partner or start a family. Fortunately, though, just a few months after being told that she had MS, Claire was well enough to go back to work. What’s more, it was there that she met Paul Wally, and the pair ultimately began dating.
Just as Claire’s love life began to improve, so apparently did her health. Indeed, on a 2009 episode of the Discovery Fit and Health show “I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant,” Claire said, “Paul and I went out every night, and I just got better and better. He seemed to pull me out of myself.” Indeed, as time went on, her MS symptoms appeared to fade. Then, in April 2004, the couple welcomed their first child, a baby boy they chose to name Harry. Thankfully, Claire’s pregnancy was straightforward, with no real difficulties.
Any luck that she may have had on the health front would appear to run out after Harry’s birth, however. That’s because Claire’s MS symptoms worsened to the point where she became partially paralyzed. In a 2006 interview with the newspaper The Sunday People, she explained, “My right leg went dead, and I had to use a wheelchair. My arms went dead, and my eye became so fuzzy I had to wear a patch.” The new mom’s condition became so dire, in fact, that she couldn’t even lift up her son to hold him. In the end, then, Harry went to live with his grandmother, and Claire, who could no longer drive or socialize outside of her home, ended up confined to her bed.
That summer, Claire gained around 10 pounds in weight. She chalked this up to spending extended periods of time in a sedentary position, as well as the steroids she was taking to help manage her condition. When it came to extending the family further, Claire and Paul hadn’t planned on doing so at that time. But on one night in September 2005, the couple’s lives would end up changing forever.
On that occasion, Claire awoke at around 1:00 AM, feeling the need to use the bathroom. She was in severe discomfort and, most alarmingly, was bleeding profusely. While Claire made it to the bathroom, the agony didn’t let up. “I thought the pain was going to kill me,” the mom explained on “I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant.” Then, as Claire would later tell The Sunday People, she experienced the most incredible urge to push. After that, she turned around and there was a baby crying. It appeared that the MS sufferer had been in labor all that time, however, Claire had had no clue that she had even been pregnant. She had been taking the contraceptive pill, after all, and her menstrual cycle hadn’t even been interrupted.
Paul, who had been in the bathroom with his partner, was just as surprised as Claire to find that he was a dad again. On “I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant,” he revealed, “My reaction to a birth was shock, quite a bit.” But there was another surprise to come for the couple. As they held their newborn daughter, Claire felt the urge to push again. Initially, the pair thought that she was delivering the placenta, but they were wrong. Even though she hadn’t realized that she had ever been pregnant, Claire had given birth to twins.
After that, Paul quickly transported Claire and their new daughters to the hospital. Happily, both of the girls were found to be perfectly healthy despite the surprise pregnancy and births. The couple named the new arrivals Maisie and Charlie. Regardless of how much time Claire spent with the twins in the hospital, though, she couldn’t believe what had happened. But there was to be one more shock to come for the mom of three and her partner. Only a few hours after Maisie and Charlie had entered the world, the symptoms of Claire’s MS began to disappear. When Paul reached out to touch Claire’s hand, she realized that she had regained the feeling she’d lost months before in the appendage. It didn’t stop there: Claire’s leg began to recover, and in due course, her vision started to improve too. In fact, Claire told The Sunday People, “Everything just came back within one week of the birth.”
Eventually, she could move around by herself, drive, and see her friends again. Best of all, she was able to take care of her babies as pretty much any new mom would. Research has found that pregnancy can reduce the symptoms of MS, particularly in the final months of gestation. While doctors don’t know exactly why this happens, it’s suspected that hormones play a big part. Claire’s case is unusual, though, since after giving birth, a woman with MS is usually more likely to experience increased symptoms, perhaps because her hormonal levels are returning to normal.
Claire didn’t take her newfound good health for granted. Indeed, she told The Sunday People, “It was absolutely amazing. I got my life back.” The mother of three added to the newspaper, “I am a very lucky woman, and every time I look at my twins, I think they are my little miracles who saved me.”
