A 27-year-old Canadian woman, Carolina Moreno, has shared the harrowing experience of unknowingly giving birth while asleep during labour, only to discover her newborn son lying silently beneath a hospital blanket after medical staff could no longer detect his heartbeat.
Moreno, who described the incident as one of the most traumatic moments of her life, recounted the experience in a TikTok video that has since gone viral and in an interview with People magazine.
She explained that she had been admitted to hospital for an induced labour after testing positive for Group B Streptococcus, a bacterial infection that required doctors to administer antibiotics before breaking her water.
According to her, labour was induced with Pitocin after her water was broken. As contractions intensified, she requested an epidural and eventually fell asleep after repeatedly activating additional doses of the pain relief medication.
Her husband, sister and cousin remained in the delivery room while nurses carried out routine checks on the baby’s heartbeat.
Moreno said the baby’s heart monitor alarm had gone off several times because the unborn child was very active and frequently changed position.
“The alarm went off on the monitor, which happens when the heartbeat isn’t found, so my nurse came in to find it again. This had happened several times. My baby was very active and he liked to move,” she told People.
She said she only became alarmed when the nurse continued searching for the baby’s heartbeat for several minutes without success.
“When I turned on my back, her hands were still on my stomach, and that’s when she pointed out that my stomach felt really weird. In that moment, I thought my baby was dead,” she recalled.
As she attempted to move her legs, Moreno said she felt something beneath the blanket covering her.
“I never thought it was going to be my baby. The nurse lifted up the blanket, and my son was face down under all of my blankets,” she said.
The newborn was not crying, prompting panic in the delivery room until the nurse picked him up and stimulated him, after which he began to cry.
“I screamed at my husband. He thought he missed the birth. He just didn’t realise we all missed the birth,” Moreno said.
Reflecting on the incident, she explained that her son had delivered himself without anyone immediately noticing.
“The nurse didn’t deliver him, he delivered himself. We had no idea he was even out, which is actually what made it so scary at first, since they couldn’t find his heartbeat because he wasn’t in me anymore,” she said.
Moreno said her son, now three months old, is healthy and thriving.
“He’s absolutely amazing and was born in perfect health. He’s also our easiest baby and the adjustment has been seamless,” she added, noting that his calm personality explained why he remained so quiet after birth.
