Kristen Biayobzcki experienced the surprise of a lifetime when she discovered she was pregnant — only after she went into labor.
The 40-year-old substitute teacher from Memphis, Tennessee, had been told by doctors her irregular periods were because she was in ‘early menopause’.
And other symptoms like swollen feet and fatigue were blamed on fibroids, claims the mom – who was also on birth control.
But on the morning of August 29, Kristen began feeling unwell with back pain that escalated throughout the day.
Despite encouragement from her husband Issac, 43, a frame shop manager, to go to the emergency room, Kristen resisted, fearing the medical costs after her insurance had been cancelled due to a $6 overdue balance.
She continued her day as a childcare worker, determined to make it through her shift.
But by afternoon, she felt dizzy and was unable to continue working, and Isaac picked her up, and they headed to the ER.
At the hospital, Kristen’s blood pressure was alarmingly high. Doctors initially thought she was experiencing heart failure.
“They gave me morphine for the pain and asked me for a urine sample,” she recalls.
When she stood up after giving the sample, she felt a sudden gush of fluid and assumed she had lost control of her bladder.
She soon learned it was actually her water breaking.
Tests revealed the shocking news: Kristen was not only pregnant but in labor.
The ER team scrambled to find the baby, eventually detecting his heartbeat near her ribcage and discovering she was nearly 2cm dilated.
Her fibroids had concealed the baby throughout her pregnancy, positioning him high in her abdomen, making detection nearly impossible.
“They finally told me I was full-term and in labor,” Kristen says. “It was a wrench in their diagnosis, but we soon realized Stone was on his way.”
Stone, who weighed 8lb and 3oz, was in an unusual position inside Kristen’s uterus.
The hospital rushed Kristen to a larger regional medical center equipped to handle her high-risk situation.
An emergency c-section was performed, requiring an incision extending from her belly to her breastbone.
“When they took him out, he wasn’t breathing,” she recalls.
“The NICU team had to intubate him right away.”
Stone spent over 20 days in the NICU, but against the odds, he’s now thriving at home.
And while many can’t believe she didn’t know she was pregnant, Kristen says she really didn’t have a clue.
“I did gain weight,” she notes. “I thought weight gain was from bloating and menopause. The biggest weight gain was noticeable in the last few weeks. I thought that was from all the swelling in my feet and high blood pressure from what I thought was bloating from fibroids.”
Kristen also says engaged in activities she “never did” during her other pregnancies.
I was taking ADHD meds the whole pregnancy — Focalin 20mg — drank wine on occasion, maybe two glasses when I did, and drank energy drinks almost daily. In my third trimester in May, I was also doing heavy lifting and moving furniture,” she says.
“I was very upfront with doctors about all these things,” she adds. “I was very upset I caused his asphyxiation at birth but was told that those things did not contribute to it. The ADHD meds, wine, and caffeine thankfully caused no effects on his health.
“I didn’t think I was pregnant because the doctors had told me I had numerous large fibroids and was probably in early menopause,” Kristen explains.
Blood work even seemed to support this diagnosis with everything else put down to fibroids.
“I just kept chalking it up to the fibroids and pushed through,” she shares.
The arrival of Stone, her “big surprise,” has brought joy to Kristen’s family, including two daughters, six and eight, and an 11-year-old son.
Her son, who previously only had sisters, was thrilled to welcome a baby brother.
“We didn’t have anything for a baby since my youngest daughter is six,” Kristen says.
Kristen sees her son’s name, Stone, as a fitting choice. “It felt like a pretty strong name for a boy.”
