Florida

Happy Family Special: Florida Mom Mistook Labor for Bad Chinese Food

Crystal Gail Amerson says she's never felt many pregnancy symptoms and didn't notice much weight gain

A Florida woman awoke to what she believed were the consequences of a bad dish of General Tso's chicken, but instead had an unexpected baby in her arms three hours later.

The Pensacola News Journal reports 29-year-old Crystal Gail Amerson thought food poisoning was responsible for the stomach pains that woke her up early Sunday, unaware that she was actually 37 weeks pregnant.

An ambulance arrived hours later, as the pain escalated. Her second son soon entered the world in the back of the ambulance en route to the hospital. 

Amerson said she's never felt many pregnancy symptoms and didn't notice much weight gain. The newborn, Oliver James, was 19 inches and weighed 5.27 pounds.

Dr. Julie DeCesare, an obstetrician-gynecologist with Sacred Heart Hospital, said she's only seen three women not know they were pregnant until just hours before going into labor in her 20 years of practice. She noted it's very unusual for fetal movement to go unnoticed by a pregnant woman, especially one with more than one pregnancy under her belt.

"Usually by 20 weeks you can feel the baby kicking," DeCesare told the Journal. "You can feel the baby move about 12-14 weeks in, usually, with a second or third baby. With a first baby it often takes longer."

Although the Chinese food was absolved of blame, Amerson said she may never look at it the same way again.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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