“I Thought I Had Cramps” Nando’s Worker’s Surprise Labor Turns into a Miracle Birth

Destiny Stephens-Coull, an 18-year-old college student and part-time Nando’s employee, faced a life-altering surprise when she went into labor during a shift, unaware she was six months pregnant. On April 13, 2022, what Destiny believed to be menstrual cramps turned out to be the early stages of labor, leading to the emergency birth of her son Kingsley.

The ordeal began during a routine workday in Essex when Destiny experienced heavy bleeding and severe pain, initially mistaking it for her period coming early. After more than an hour in the restaurant’s restroom dealing with what she described as bleeding that was “coming out like a tap,” she was urgently rushed to Basildon Hospital, told Bristol Live.

There, to her astonishment, a scan revealed she was not only pregnant but required an immediate cesarean section due to her advanced stage of pregnancy and the baby’s distress. Upon waking from general anesthesia, Destiny was introduced to her newborn son, Kingsley, who weighed just 3lbs 1oz and was born 10 weeks premature. Reflecting on that moment, Destiny shared, “When I first saw Kingsley, I didn’t feel like a mum – he was adorable, but it felt like I’d been given a random baby to look after.”

However, her maternal instincts kicked in soon after when she fed him for the first time, realizing, “I knew he was mine.” The young mother recounted the shock and confusion at the hospital, remembering how she had partied just the weekend before and showed no physical signs of pregnancy. “I freaked out so much. I’d been clubbing and drinking, I danced a lot, and I had a flat stomach.

I thought there was absolutely no way,” she said. The midwife even had to break the news to her mother, given Destiny’s overwhelming astonishment and fear. Kingsley’s early days were fraught with challenges. He suffered from two brain bleeds, hydrocephalus, and jaundice, requiring extended care in the NICU. Doctors had to fit a shunt to manage his condition, amidst concerns over his future ability to walk and talk.

Despite these hurdles, Kingsley is now thriving, meeting developmental milestones that once seemed out of reach. Destiny, now 21, lives in a mother-and-baby unit and hopes to soon secure a permanent home for herself and Kingsley. Looking back on her unexpected journey into motherhood, she expresses a mix of astonishment and joy.

“It’s still weird to think about,” she admits, recalling her disbelief at stories of cryptic pregnancies before experiencing her own. Now, fully embracing her role as a mother, she concludes, “If someone told me three years ago that at 21 I’d have a two-year-old son, I’d have told them they were lying. But now I’m used to being a mum and I’m ecstatic he is my son.”