Mum gave birth on the toilet after three doctors failed to diagnose she was nine months pregnant

A woman who thought she was constipated gave birth on the toilet after doctors allegedly failed to notice that she was pregnant .
Charlotte Bryant, 20, said she was misdiagnosed by three different GPs after suffering from constant backache at her home in Cardiff, Wales.
She claimed she was firstly told she had inflamed muscles and given painkillers, before later being examined and diagnosed with constipation.
None of the medics noticed that she was nine months' pregnant, she said.
Charlotte returned home with a big box of powder laxatives to treat her suspected constipation, but later felt a sudden urge to go to the toilet.
Within seconds, she had given birth to a baby boy.

 

Shortly after, Charlotte sent a photo of her newborn son, Joshua, via text message to her partner, Daniel Hughes - who initially thought she was joking.
When he realised she was telling the truth and he had become a father, he was in 'complete shock', she said.
Today, the new mother described her shock at Joshua's birth, which came just hours after she had taken the laxatives prescribed by medics.
"I'd had really bad backache and I'd gone to the doctors," said Charlotte, who works as a teaching assistant.
"I'd been diagnosed with inflamed muscles and given painkillers and Diazepman.


"Then another doctor at my surgery examined my tummy and told me I had constipation. She didn't have any idea that I was nine months' pregnant!
"I was prescribed with a big box of powder laxatives. I went home and took one and then a short time later, I felt an urge to go to the toilet.
"I sat on the toilet and I felt something really odd between my legs. It was like a poo but it felt like it was coming from the wrong place.

"I felt the urge to push and then as I looked down and I saw a face looking at me. It was absolutely surreal."
Fortunately, Charlotte's brother, Adam Bryant, 26, was also at their home in Llanederyn at the time of Joshua's birth.
"I screamed for my brother and told him I'd had a baby," Charlotte said.
"He told me to stop being stupid until he came downstairs and saw a baby in my arms."
Charlotte says she wrapped her baby in a towel before calling an ambulance, which arrived at the house ten minutes later.
"Six paramedics came through the door. One of them cut the umbilical cord and checked us over and then we were taken straight to hospital," she said.


"Obviously I didn't have a thing for him - not even a packet of nappies."
Joshua, who weighed 7lb 4oz, was rushed to Intensive Care at University Hospital of Wales, where he was found to be suffering from a chest infection.
After the infant was treated by doctors, Charlotte texted a photo of him to her boyfriend of two years, Daniel.
"I texted him a picture of Joshua and told him he had a son. He was in complete shock as I was," she said.

"At first he thought I was playing a joke on him and told me I was fibbing."
Charlotte said she had absolutely no idea she was pregnant because her periods were like clockwork and she felt no movement in her stomach.
"I really had no idea I was expecting - I'd put on a few pounds but I thought I'd been eating too much cake," she said.
"When my back began to ache I would never have believed it was the start of labour pains.
"It's funny the doctor thought I was constipated and gave me laxatives and hours later a baby popped out."
She said becoming an instant mother was a real shock, but that she adores looking after Joshua, whom she calls her 'little miracle'.
"He is the most beautiful baby and Daniel and I love him so much even though he was a complete surprise," Charlotte said.
"People have been so kind and brought lots of lovely things for him. He doesn't want for anything. We all call him a little miracle - and he really is too."
Joshua, who has been released from hospital, is now three weeks old.