A hairdresser who found out she was pregnant when her waters broke delivered the baby and cut the cord herself, with her hair scissors.
Lianne Brennan, 23, thought her cramps were period pains and was shocked when she went into labour on her sofa.
She couldn’t find her phone to call for help so was forced to deliver her baby girl Echo-River on her own on her bed.
After a 30-minute labour, Brennan cut the cord with a pair of hairdressing scissors and stemmed the bleeding by tying the umbilical cord with a hair bobble.
“I knew my hairdressing skills would come in handy at some point,” Brennan, from Manchester, said.
“The minute my waters broke, I knew I was going into labour. I went white with fear. There was blood everywhere.”
Brennan said she had a sore back all day, but didn’t think it was a sign of pregnancy due to having spinal surgery when she was 14 years old.
The 23-year-old, who is also mum to Jasmine-Jae, 14 months, and Lola-Rose, four, said she’s always experienced bad period pains, too.
The night before she gave birth, Brennan, who is also a bar maid, was working until 3am.
She was watching TV when her waters broke on 17 April 2016.
“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.”
Brennan grabbed a pair of scissors from her bedside table and cut the cord herself, before tying it off with her hair bobble.
She then jumped in the shower to clean the baby.
“I had no idea what I was doing. It was just a mother’s instinct,” Brennan added.
“After I had a 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.”
Brennan’s mum, Karen Brennan, 50, and sister, Lauren Brennan, 24, brought her everything she needed to get Echo-River home safely.
“I never believed it when I read stories like this. I always thought: ‘How could you not know?” she said.
“I still can’t quite believe it’s happened to me, but I couldn’t be happier.
“Echo-River is most perfect surprise.”