Woman gives birth while asleep, finds newborn under blanket

Carolina Moreno, a 27-year-old Canadian mother, has recounted the deeply traumatic experience of giving birth to her third child while she was asleep.

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The alarm went off on the monitor, which happens when the heartbeat isn’t found, so my nurse came in to find it again.

Moreno was admitted for an induced labor after testing positive for Group B Streptococcus. Upon arrival at the hospital, she was already three centimeters dilated with a thinning cervix. Labor was induced with Pitocin, but the contractions became uncomfortable due to the baby's position. Moreno requested an epidural and, after receiving multiple doses, fell asleep.

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This had happened several times; my baby was very active and he liked to move.

While Moreno slept, her husband, sister, and cousin remained in the delivery room. Nurses continued routine checks on the baby's heartbeat, but the monitor alarm sounded multiple times as the baby was very active and shifted position. Initially, Moreno and the staff were not overly concerned, as such interruptions had happened before. However, as the nurse struggled to locate the heartbeat, panic began to set in.

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But as the minutes passed, I started to get worried because obviously she’s not finding him… that’s when I really woke up.

Moreno recalled being asked to turn onto her back. As the nurse continued searching for the heartbeat, she noted that Moreno's stomach felt "really weird." Moreno's fear intensified, thinking her baby might be dead. As she attempted to move her legs, she felt something beneath the blankets on the bed. To her astonishment, when the nurse lifted the blanket, her son was lying face down underneath.

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When I turn on my back, her hands are still on my stomach, and that’s when she points out that my stomach feels really weird.