MIAMI, Fla. (CBS12) — A dream cruise to Mexico turned into a life-changing surprise for a New England couple after a woman who did not know she was pregnant gave birth just hours before she was scheduled to set sail from South Florida.
Gary Glenn of Connecticut and Lauren Siwinski of Rhode Island traveled to Florida for a Royal Caribbean cruise departing from Miami. But their vacation plans took an unexpected turn when Siwinski began experiencing severe stomach pains the night before the cruise.
The couple sought treatment at an urgent care center, where medical staff delivered shocking news: Siwinski was about eight months pregnant and in the early stages of labor.
The revelation left both parents stunned.
“And he comes back and he goes, you guys are pregnant. And I’m like, is she, what?” Glenn recalled.
We’re both just like, it’s like (total shock) it’s you feel like you’re pinching yourself and you’re like, what are you talking about? Like this isn’t real.”
Glenn said his immediate focus was reassuring his fiancée.
“So the first thing I said to her after he left, I was like, so I told her I said, I love you. And then I said, you’re gonna be OK,” he said.
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Siwinski said she never suspected she was expecting because she experienced none of the typical signs associated with pregnancy.
I had no symptoms at all, nothing whatsoever. I had no idea there was a human inside of me.”
About 12 hours after learning the news, Siwinski gave birth to the couple’s son, Sebastian, on July 13.
Gary Glenn of Connecticut and Lauren Siwinski of Rhode Island traveled to Florida for a Royal Caribbean cruise departing from Miami. But their vacation plans took an unexpected turn when Siwinski began experiencing severe stomach pains the night before the cruise. (CNN Newsource)
The couple, who became engaged in May, said they plan to marry at a courthouse after returning home to the Northeast.
Instead of bringing back souvenirs from a cruise vacation, the family returned with a newborn son and an unforgettable story.