“I really thought it was fake, I thought the girls were out here lying.”
That’s what one new mom said after she shared her story of giving birth to her daughter, and only finding out she was pregnant four weeks before delivery.
“My stomach was so flat, I felt like everyone was lying to me, I felt like I was in a movie,” TikTok user Tawana (@tawanatr) said in a video that has nearly two millions views to date.
What Tawana is describing is a phenomenon called cryptic pregnancy, which is when a person does not realize they are pregnant until a late trimester or even until they are in labour.
She explains how this could happen to anyone, and that taking a pregnancy test, using protection, or even getting your menstrual cycle won’t rule out the chance of some women going into labour unplanned.
In fact, Tawana revealed that she even had a contraception implant in her arm for three years.
Everything changed when she woke up one day and thought she was dying and could not get out of the bed so she went to the hospital.
A doctor told her she might be suffering from organ failure. She was then told they would use a medical machine to check what was going on inside her body.
And before that a pregnancy test was ordered and it came back negative.
Once on the machine, it wasn’t long before the doctor came to her and said she was having a child.
According to Your Doctors Online, a Toronto based clinic, a cryptic pregnancy is an unknown pregnancy where the person is unaware and fails to observe the normal signs and symptoms.
Dr. Richard Honaker shares how this phenomenon occurs and what could lead women to becoming pregnant without ever knowing it.
According to him, the signs and symptoms of a hidden pregnancy are missed periods, spotting, few or absent pregnancy symptoms, weight gain, nausea and fatigue, cramping and bloating, frequent urination, constipation and tender breasts.
Additionally, causes of a cryptic pregnancy include Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), birth control, recent pregnancy, first-time pregnancy, perimenopause and false periods.
Honaker also shares the complications and risk factors associated with a surprise pregnancy include delayed prenatal care, emotional and psychological impact, maternal health risks, fetal developmental concerns, birth preparations, social and support systems and postpartum adjustments.
