Teen Visits Doctor For Appendicitis, Surprisingly Gives Birth

A 19-year-old woman in Trumbull County, Ohio, who went to the hospital believing she had appendicitis discovered she was actually pregnant and going into labor.

Nadia Rhoads, of Brookfield, was taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Warren on Dec. 22, 2020, by her 22-year-old boyfriend and dad-to-be, Brad O’Donnell, after she began experiencing severe cramps in her side and back, Wales Online reported.

But while she believed she had appendicitis, Rhoads was informed in the hospital that she had actually gone into labor and was 8 centimeters dilated, a report by 7News.com.au said.

"They checked me out a bit, then they had me take a pregnancy test and found that I was pregnant," Rhoads was quoted as saying. "I was surprised and in shock, especially because I was in labor already so there was no time to prepare anything."

A nurse informed O'Donnell, a steel mill worker, of the situation as he was waiting out in the car park. Rhoads was the one who broke the news to her mother.

"I texted my [mom], and I sent her a picture of the monitors and was like, 'Um, I'm in labor. Just thought you should know!'" she recalled. "She called me back freaking out, but she was really happy."

Rhoads said she did not consider the possibility that she was pregnant as she was taking birth control pills when her child, later named Delaney Mae O’Donnell, was conceived around April 15 last year.

Additionally, Rhoads said she felt mostly normal throughout the next nine months and did not gain any weight, maintaining her size 14 dress size.

"Birth control made my period spotty before I got pregnant so nothing really changed with that. It occurred every month around the same time," Rhoads explained. "I had really bad back pain, and I was always super tired. I didn’t think much of it because I was working full time on my feet all for nine hours a day."

Rhoads also developed a fondness for spicy food but thought she "just started to like it."

Her daughter was born weighing a healthy 6 pounds and 11 ounces after 14 hours of labor.

The aspiring cosmetologist had been studying at Raphael’s School of Beauty but had to delay her studies to look after her child. However, she said her daughter has "brought so much joy to all of our lives."

"It took me a few months to kind of adjust everything and kind of feel like a mom, but now I'm for sure adjusted, and I enjoy it. I do feel like a mom now," Rhoads said.

Rhoads also said that she decided to share her story because she "wanted those that have been through the same thing as me to know they aren't alone."

"I also want to share that things like this can and do happen and that our bodies are crazy and can do crazy and amazing things," she explained.