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New Delhi:
A 36-year-old woman from Hangzhou, China, gave birth to a baby boy, four hours after unexpectedly discovering she was pregnant. The woman, identified only by her surname Gong, was previously told she would never be able to bear children.
She visited a hospital seeking treatment for hypertension, but doctors were shocked to discover that she was 34 weeks pregnant.
According to a report from Chao News, Gong and her husband previously consulted doctors about in vitro fertilisation (IVF) but were advised to lose weight first before moving forward with the procedure. Gong’s weight was not disclosed in the report, but she was described as tall and overweight.
The surprising discovery came in December 2024 when Gong started experiencing numbness in her arms. Following a physical check-up at a smaller clinic, her high blood pressure was noted, prompting her to seek further treatment at a bigger hospital.
During her examination, she mentioned her recently irregular menstrual cycle. This led the doctors to conduct an ultrasound, which revealed she was carrying a baby.
With Gong’s condition deemed critical, doctors immediately performed an emergency caesarean section. Her baby boy was delivered weighing 2 kg, much to Gong’s astonishment and delight. “There were only four hours from finding out I was pregnant to the birth of my baby,” Gong was quoted as saying.
Her case is not unique at the hospital, according to SCMP. Many years ago, another woman, who weighed 100 kg, was admitted for surgery and discovered she was 23 weeks pregnant. Dr Yang Liwei, an obstetrician at the hospital, said that heavier women often don’t notice the signs of pregnancy due to a lack of significant weight gain and minimal foetal movement. “Women not knowing they are pregnant will not take a prenatal examination, which makes it hard to ensure the safety of both the mother and the baby,” Dr Yang added.