A MILLOM mother of one was unaware she was pregnant with her second child until the moment she gave birth in the bath, an inquest has heard.

Petite Grace Maxwell-Kelly thought she was experiencing period pains as she went into labour during the evening of March 23 this year while she was at home with her four-year-old daughter Tamara.

The 22-year-old told a formal hearing into the death of her newborn daughter Martha Maxwell-Kelly that she had used a hot water bottle and paracetamol to ease the pain before eventually running the bath at around 4am.

The little girl, who is thought to have been born between 32 and 34 weeks gestation, was born after just one push weighing 3lbs 14oz.

She was attended by paramedics within minutes, the inquest, at Barrow Town Hall heard yesterday.

Tragically, she died at Furness General Hospital two hours later.

Miss Maxwell-Kelly, who said she had continued having periods throughout the time she had been pregnant, said: "It was completely different to my first pregnancy, I had no inkling that I was pregnant.

"No weight gain, nothing like that.

"I thought it was just a period pain and I needed a hot water bottle.

"It got to around 4.14am when I thought it was more than that. I ran a bath because it was becoming more painful."

Miss Maxwell-Kelly's mother, Tracy Wilson, called an ambulance after arriving at her daughter's home in the town's Lonsdale Road, she told the hearing.

Paramedics arrived at the scene within four minutes of the 999 call and immediately began to treat her for low oxygen saturation levels.

Mrs Wilson said: "There was nothing at all to suggest Grace was pregnant.

"I called an ambulance and I heard an almighty scream. When I went through to the bathroom (the baby) was there."

Assistant coroner for Cumbria, Paul O'Donnell, heard Martha had made a noise moments after her birth and was breathing.

But her condition deteriorated in the ambulance, despite the best efforts of paramedic Mark Roskell and a team of medics at Furness General Hospital, led by consultant paediatrician Dr Bhramar Saha.

A post-mortem examination concluded Martha's premature birth was likely to have been caused by an infection Miss Maxwell-Kelly had been suffering from. She died as a result of oxygen deprivation.

Mr O'Donnell ruled the baby girl died of natural causes. He described Martha as "a dot of a baby" who had "hidden herself" from her mother.

"Despite significant efforts Martha's condition proved insurmountable to save her life," he said.

"The assistance and level of support from NWAS and FGH was notable, heartening and clearly to be commended."

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Fact file

Around one in 2,500 women are thought to experience a cryptic pregnancy, where they are unaware they are carrying a baby until going into labour.

Some one in 450 women are not aware they are pregnant until the 20th week or later.