A hairdresser only realised she was pregnant when her waters broke delivered the baby herself and cut the cord with her favourite scissors – before tying it off with a hair bobble.
Lianne Brennan, 23, thought her cramps were period pains and was astonished when she went into labour after coughing on the sofa.
The shocked stylist couldn’t find her phone to call for help so was forced to deliver baby girl Echo-River on her own on her bed.
After a 30-minute labour, Lianne then cut the cord with a pair of hairdressing scissors and stemmed the bleeding by tying the umbilical cord with a hair bobble.
Despite Lianne going out drinking most weekends, and smoking ten cigarettes a day, Echo-River was found to be in good health, and weighing 7lbs 2oz.
Mum-of-three Lianne, from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, said: “I knew my hairdressing skills would come in handy at some point.
“I had had a sore back all that day but my periods are so regular I didn’t think anything of it.
“But the minute my waters broke, I knew I was going into labour.
“I went white with fear. There was blood everywhere.
“I grabbed some hairdressing scissors from my bedside table and cut the cord, then stemmed the blood with a bobble I plucked from my hair.”
Single mum Lianne didn’t notice she had fallen pregnant within three months of having her second child, Jasmine-Jae, now 14-months.
Lianne didn’t think her back pain was a sign of pregnancy, due to having spinal surgery to repair a fractured spine when she was just 14 years old.
She said: “My spine is half metal, so my lower back aches most of the time.
“And I’ve always had severe period cramps – I just got used to the pain.”
As well as drinking and smoking, Lianne moved house on her own when she was five months pregnant, lifting heavy boxes and moving large pieces of furniture.
The night before she gave birth, Lianne, who is also a bar maid, was working until 3am, and was watching TV when her waters broke on April 17 this year.
“I staggered around the house looking for my phone, but I couldn’t find it anywhere,” she said.
“I knew I was going to have to give birth alone.
“I climbed into bed and within half an hour, I delivered her.
Quick-thinking Lianne, who is also a mum to Lola-Rose, four, grabbed a pair of scissors from her bedside table and bravely cut the cord herself.
She then tied off the cord with her hair bobble and jumped in the shower to clean the baby.
Lianne said: “I had no idea what I was doing. It was just a mother‘s instinct.
“After I got out of the shower a neighbour knocked on the door to borrow a phone charger.
“She said: ‘sorry, have you just got out of the bath?’
“I said ‘No, I’ve just given birth’.
“She called an ambulance, and luckily one was just passing and took me and Echo-River to Wythenshawe Hospital.
“I had nothing with me. I turned up with my handbag on one arm and Echo-River in the other.
Lianne’s mum, Karen Brennan, 50, and sister, Lauren Brennan, 24 rallied around and brought her everything she needed to get Echo-River home safely.
Lianne said: “I never believed it when I read stories like this. I always thought: ‘how could you not know?’
“I still can’t quite believe it’s happened to me, but I couldn’t be happier.
“Echo-River is most perfect surprise.”
