I was pregnant & didn’t know – I got drunk EVERY night, went on a pub crawl & smoked fags… I just thought I was fat
A PARTY-LOVING student had no idea she was pregnant until GIVING BIRTH - believing she had simply 'got a bit fat' at uni by boozing 'almost every night'.
Niamh Hearn's life turned upside down in August 2022 when the then 20-year-old was admitted to hospital with suspected appendicitis - and left hospital with a newborn baby.
The now 21-year-old admitted to binge drinking and smoking throughout her pregnancy - attending a festival and a pub crawl all while unknowingly pregnant with her son.
The healthcare assistant said she took no fewer than ten pregnancy tests due to recurrent nausea but said they all returned a negative result.
Months later, on the morning of August 9th 2022, the former drama student woke with crippling stomach pains and rushed to York Hospital's A&E with suspected appendicitis.
Tests later revealed that Niamh, who lives in York, was carrying a full-term baby and in active labour, which she believes occurred due to antibiotics affecting her contraceptive pill.
Hours later, Niamh gave birth to healthy baby Liam - born at 9.30pm and weighing six pounds.
Niamh, who was studying a foundation degree in drama at University Centre Leeds at the time, said she was 'in absolute shock' after delivering her baby - believing she had just gained a few extra pounds while at university.
Shocking photos show Niamh flaunting her flat stomach in a crop top - all while unknowingly six months pregnant.
Niamh said: "I woke up in crippling agony one morning. I was in so much pain on my stomach, I couldn't move.
"I thought it was my periods and it was the most horrendous period pains of my life.
"I got myself up and dressed. I rang my nanna and she called 111 who told me to go to hospital straight away because they thought it was appendicitis.
"When they were doing the observations in hospital, I actually thought I'd wet myself on the bed.
"I got changed and when the nurse came back, she brought a wheelchair and said to me 'you're in labour'. I said 'no I can't be' and she said 'well you are, let's go'."
Niamh 'wetting herself' on the hospital bed was actually her waters breaking, with the student giving birth to a baby boy just six hours later.
Niamh said: "I was in absolute shock. From the second she said it I said 'no, this can't be happening to me, there must be another explanation'.
"My life was uni and uni work. Everything was running through my head. I don't remember a single thing from when they told me I was in labour to me giving birth to Liam. It all blurred into one.
"None of us had any idea whether he was going to be healthy or whether he was going to be alive or tiny.
"They reckon he was full-time but three weeks early. He was tiny when he was born.
"Amazingly, he was perfectly healthy.
"It took me a good two months to get my head around it. I couldn't believe it."
Niamh had broken up with her baby's dad four months before the arrival of Liam and credited her 'amazing family' for rallying around her during those first few weeks.
Niamh said: "When Liam came, I just froze and my mum took over - it was too much for me. She took the role and sorted everything out.
"We had nothing. My sister came and brought the tiniest baby grow she could find, nappies, milk, all the necessities we needed and rushed to hospital.
"My family have been absolutely amazing. After the baby came, I moved back in with my mum, which is something I didn't really want to do - I'd been living on my own for two year at uni - but it had to be done."
After finding out she was pregnant, Niamh was terrified she had unknowingly put her baby in harm's way after drinking and smoking during the last nine months at university.
Niamh said: "It was such a relief hearing he was healthy. I was drinking. I was drinking pretty much every night at uni. We were going out at like 6pm and not getting back until 2am drinking all night.
"I was going out maybe three times a week. I went to a three-day festival maybe two weeks before I had him, drinking a lot.
"I was panicking because I'm a smoker too and had smoked and drank the whole way through.
"Thankfully he was okay."
Niamh said she had taken ten pregnancy tests after complaining of nausea and weight gain in summer 2022, which all turned out a negative result.
Niamh believes a course of antibiotics in November 2021 to treat tonsillitis may have interfered with the efficacy of her daily contraceptive pill.
Niamh said: "No one told me these antibiotics could interfere with the pill. I had no idea.
"I wasn't feeling well in the May time and decided to take a pregnancy test. I took about ten pregnancy tests because I had a feeling I might be.
"I felt sick but there was no explanation as to why I felt sick. All the tests came back negative. I just thought it was a sickness bug.
"I didn't look visibly pregnant, I just looked a bit fat. I didn't put on that much weight. I'd gone up in dress sizes but not enough that I looked pregnant.
"I was religiously taking the pill up until the day I had him."
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Now 17 months, Niamh said Liam is a happy and healthy toddler and said she wouldn't change what happened to her.
Niamh said: "Every day I look at him and can't believe this has happened.
"I wouldn't change it now."
