Physical Wellness

Mother Gives Birth In Her Sleep

By Anne Collins | Update Date: Jan 23, 2017 08:30 AM EST

A machine mistakenly read a mother's contractions. Doctors thought Alice Payne was far from giving birth but were surprised that she slept through labor and the whole child birth process. Alice, a 23-year-old private tutor from Ashbourne, Derbyshire, England gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Dec. 18 at the Royal Derby Hospital.

Alice was found to be pregnant around April. During her 38 weeks the baby stopped growing in her womb. Doctors then decided to medically induce her on December 16.

Mirror reported that 24 hours after she was induced, the doctors injected Syntocinon into her body every half an hour. The drug is a hormone that helps increase the intensity of contractions.

She fell asleep during labor and 30 minutes later the doctors realized that she was ready to give birth. The doctor's immediately prepared as they might need to perform an emergency C-section when they saw that Alice was too relaxed to push.

John, a security worker and Alice's husband, stood beside her and tried to talk to her when she was asleep. John told her when it was time to push.

During her sleep, she began pushing the baby out. Doctors and midwives said her husband's familiar voice may have subconsciously helped her to respond.

According to The Sun, Alice became conscious 10 minutes before the birth, then she went back to sleep. Two hours later she woke up and discovered she was done with giving birth.

Alice and John named their baby boy Phillip, who weighed 6.4lbs. John shared they felt relieved after the healthy birth.

"Though I'm pleased I missed the pain of labor, I do wish I had been more present for my first baby's birth. Now when he's older and asks me, I'll have to tell him I nodded off," said Alice when asked about the experience.

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