A mum has issued an urgent travel insurance warning after she was left stranded abroad after her holiday took an unexpected turn.
Gloucester mum Chantelle Ali, 33, gave birth five weeks early while on a trip to Tenerife after going into labour unexpectedly.
She and her newborn son, Rico Major, have since been unable to return home due to travel insurance issues.
Travel insurance warning after mum left stranded abroad
Ms Ali travelled to Spain on July 6 for a surprise getaway with her partner Ben Major, 40, who booked the trip as a final break before their baby arrived.
At nearly 35 weeks pregnant, she had been declared fit to fly by both her GP and midwife.
But the holiday turned into a "nightmare" when she went into labour on the last night of the trip.
She initially dismissed signs of labour during a boat trip.
Ms Ali said: "I'm shocked this relaxing babymoon turned into a bit of a nightmare.
"You couldn't write it.
"It's absolute craziness."
That night, the pain became unbearable, and she asked hotel staff to call an ambulance.
She gave birth on July 12, five weeks early.
Both Chantelle and her newborn son developed an infection and required treatment in hospital.
Rico was placed on oxygen and a feeding tube and remains in intensive care.
Travel insurance has left the family stranded and struggling with costs not related to medical care.
Ms Ali has since discovered that her policy only classifies a birth as an emergency if the baby is born 12 weeks premature or more.
She said: "It's not classed as an emergency because I was only five weeks premature, but say if I was like 12, that'd be more of an emergency.
"I would say it's unfair."
While medical bills are covered through her Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), which entitles UK residents to state-provided healthcare in the EU and some other countries, she is facing mounting expenses for accommodation and travel.
She said: "It's very costly with accommodation and everything like that.
"It's all mounting up."
The family must now obtain a new birth certificate and emergency travel document before they can return to the UK.
Ms Ali has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover their expenses and says she is "desperate" to return home to her two children and dogs in Gloucester.
She said: "I'm so desperate to get back home to the UK and my family.
"I love Tenerife but I don't want to come back to Tenerife anytime soon."
She remains in Spain, living with only a few belongings, as her suitcase remains at the airport.
The emotional toll of giving birth abroad has been compounded by the stress of being away from her family for an extended period.
Ms Ali said: "I wasn't really nervous because both of my previous pregnancies I went over so I was expecting to go over again, but the complete opposite happened.
After successfully giving birth to her son, Chantelle spent five days in hospital on antibiotics while Rico spent three days on oxygen and a feeding tube to get rid of the unknown infection.
"It was quite scary because I've never had anything like that before.
"Being abroad and in a different country was another worry."
Despite the challenging circumstances, Ms Ali remains grateful for the support she has received.
She said: "The money we did have is going really quick so we had no option to set up the GoFundMe and I'm blown away by the amount of donations we've had.
"Not even in 24 hours."
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She is now focused on bringing her son home and beginning their new life together in the UK.
Ms Ali said: "It's amazing to welcome Rico into the world.
"He's absolutely beautiful.
"He's the best thing ever.
"When I look at him it's all worth it."
Have you ever had any travel insurance issues before? Let us know in the comments.
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