NURSE Sara Milburn finished a busy shift before she went to casualty with stomach cramps -then gave birth in front of her colleagues.

Miss Milburn, 27, had no idea she was pregnant and carried on with her work as usual every day.

Now she and her partner, Geoff Askell, 25, are celebrating the birth of daughter Abigail.

The senior staff nurse at South Tyneside District Hospital had finished her shift on the orthopaedic ward when she doubled up with pain.

Miss Milburn, of West Boldon, South Tyneside, said: "One of the sisters on my ward told me I did not look very well. I sat down and got my breath back, but then just went about my day.

"Later, I went to the toilet and felt like I was dying, so I went along to casualty once I had finished my shift.

"When they told me I was having a baby, there was no time to react, I did not care as long as the pain stopped."

She finished work at 2.45pm last Friday and her daughter was born at 4.20pm.

Abigail arrived about three weeks early, and was the first baby to be delivered in the casualty department.

Miss Milburn and Mr Askell have been together two years and were not trying for a baby.

Although her periods had stopped, two pregnancy tests at Christmas proved negative.

She stopped taking contraceptives in January because she felt she was putting on weight, but showed no other symptoms of being pregnant.

Unaware she was pregnant, she had been drinking alcohol and even flew to Gran Canaria on holiday.

The couple had been going to the gym together several times a week, doing up to 300 abdominal crunches a time.

They had bet on who could lose a stone first, but after giving birth to 6lb 6oz Abigail, Miss Milburn won.

Mr Askell, a Post Office worker, said: "We had been complimenting her on her back, but could not understand why her stomach was not getting smaller. We kept on telling her she was doing the crunches wrong."

Miss Milburn said: "Abigail is fit and healthy. Now all we have got to do is get used to the idea of being parents."