Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Do 'surprise' babies really exist?

95 replies

JinglingHellsBells · 27/05/2019 16:46

In todays' news.

Stacey aged 20 gave birth on her bathroom floor. She did not know she was pregnant. She was having periods still and on the Pill.

In the time she gave birth, she tried to phone her partner who was asleep downstairs ( 60 times) and he didn't answer.

(She didn't seem to think to call 999.)

Would she not...
Put on weight
Feel the baby move
Have some inkling there was a baby there?

OP posts:
SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 27/05/2019 16:51

Maybe the baby didn’t move much - and if she was still having periods - or something resembling periods - and hence had no reason to suspect she might be pregnant, she might put down anything she did feel to wind.

I think a surprise pregnancy like this is rare, but by no means impossible.

BearSoFair · 27/05/2019 16:51

There was a lady on BBC's 'Ambulance' a few weeks ago who had no idea, until she was at her hotel during a Harry Potter fan event and gave birth on the toilet. She'd only felt ill on the day. She'd even taken a test and had a negative, I think possibly the same day!

AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 27/05/2019 16:52

Cryptic pregnancies certainly do exist.

There was someone on the latest series of Ambulance who went into labour in a hotel room, having wondered if she was pregnant, taken a pregnancy test and had it come back negative, as well as having been to the GP a few days previously about her symptoms, who also missed her pregnancy.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/mar/31/cryptic-pregnancies-i-didnt-know-i-was-having-a-baby-until-i-saw-its-head

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Families
BogglesGoggles · 27/05/2019 16:53

I had periods while pregnant and my mother didn’t look even remotely pregnant when I was born (and I was a huge baby!). I wouldn’t be that surprised.

BogglesGoggles · 27/05/2019 16:54

And obviously baby movements are really easy to confuse for gas early on and a poorly stomach later on.

SleepingStandingUp · 27/05/2019 16:54

There's someone on AMA who posted about cryptic pregnancies.

If you have an anterior placenta you don't feel very much movement eiswise, some people don't put much weight on and if you're already fat I can see it being easier to dismiss it. No periods from pill or periods through pregnancy both possible.

icannotremember · 27/05/2019 16:56

I know someone who found out she was pregnant when she was taken to hospital by ambulance believing she was very ill and was told she was in labour. She didn't believe it until she gave birth a few hours later. She genuinely had not known- combination of being overweight anyway and him being 4lb something so no obvious bump, had had irregular cycles and long periods without menstruation for years anyway, not recognising baby movements as she had no idea she could be experiencing them (you know how after you've had a baby, wind can really really feel like a baby kicking, but you had the same feelings for years beforehand and its only now you've been through pregnancy you recognise the sensations as similar), was living a party life so put any sickness or tiredness down to hangovers etc... As she said afterwards there was no reason for her to hide it or ignore any signs, she just genuinely did not know. Her son is a lovely kid.

AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 27/05/2019 16:59

I know someone who didn't find out she was pregnant until about 2 weeks before she gave birth. High flying A Level student, tall, skinny, didn't show, and all her pregnancy symptoms were put down to glandular fever by her doctor. No one around her had an inkling about her being pregnant, and I truly believe that she didn't either.

100percentplease · 27/05/2019 17:01

I believe it happens

Mrsjayy · 27/05/2019 17:03

Ive just read this on Bbc news I guess it is possible I don't think stacy had any real reason to lie about it

MamaRaisingBoys · 27/05/2019 17:04

Sod ringing my partner I’d be straight on to 999!

RandomMess · 27/05/2019 17:05

A former colleague had her grandson arrive as a cryptic pregnancy, her DIL was a Pilates instructor, on the pill, monthly bleeds, thought it was appendix related...

So yep it happens!

Maxineputyourredshoeson · 27/05/2019 17:09

My cousin didn’t find out until she was 7mths, and only then found out because she had to have an abdominal scan for something else. She still had periods and no bump. She actually got married whilst pregnant and her dress, that was obviously bought before fit her perfectly. She drank, smoked, ate food that you shouldn’t and went on a long haul flight. If she hadn’t of had to have the scan she would never have known until she gave birth. The baby is now a happy healthy 20yr old.

newjobnerves · 27/05/2019 17:12

Happened to a girl I knew, she found out at 8 months after going to the dr for back ache.

I've often wondered if because your body doesn't acknowledge the pregnancy consciously if you're unaware, you don't get all the same symptoms etc? The girl I knew was slim with no bump, so her body didn't even physically present the pregnancy as it normally would.

Tawdrylocalbrouhaha · 27/05/2019 17:14

I think 95% of the time, the woman knows. For most of the remaining 5% there are reasons why they don't (very young, unusually old and thought it was menopause, obese, learning difficulties, etc).

Mrsjayy · 27/05/2019 17:16

It is like your body going into denial or something it is odd !

SkintAsASkintThing · 27/05/2019 17:18

My DD could have very easily been a surprise pregnancy........I took a test mainly because I thought something was off.

But I didn't show, barely felt movements and the ones I got were like gurgling tummy / trapped wind..

If I hadn't known she was in there I wouldn't have known. I stayed exactly the same size throughout.

clairemcnam · 27/05/2019 17:20

I know a woman who thought she was menopausal but was pregnant. If you have been through the menopause you can see how it can easily be confused if you don't show.
So putting on a bit of weight - check
No or irregular periods - check
Feeling tired - check
Mood swings - check
etc

Floopily · 27/05/2019 17:21

I once had a member of staff ask to go home sick on a Friday as she felt dreadful...and she looked awful, really pale and clammy. On Monday I had a call to say she'd had a baby! She already had 2 children so not a naive teenager, she thought she was just struggling to lose her baby weight from the previous one. It does happen!

SusieOwl4 · 27/05/2019 17:21

yes they do . I knew someone who had no idea . she did put on weight but in a general way and had periods - so not a clue. Her husband was shocked as well . As were all their friends.

scarbados · 27/05/2019 17:24

When I was a midwife , I had a friend I saw nearly every day. She was enviably slim with a flat belly. She was with me one day when she started to have abdominal pain which I thought was probably appendicits. We rang an ambulance and she gave birth to a 5lb baby on the way to hospital.

Periods all the way through. No signs at all. I think she must have grown it in her shoulder bag because there was nothing to suggest she was pg up to 5 minutes before she gave birth.

annie95 · 27/05/2019 17:26

I had a "surprise baby" and can assure you I had absolutely no idea. I had periods throughout, was still in my size 12 jeans up until I went into labour, went to the GP multiple times and any discomfort was put down to IBS. I was neither really young or on the older side, nor do I have learning difficulties.

DaisiesAreOurSilver · 27/05/2019 17:28

Mum of DS's friend. Periods all through. A bit of weight gain but she'd changed jobs and put it down to more sitting around. Went to A&E with pains that she thought were appendicitis. Baby born that night.

bebeboeuf · 27/05/2019 17:29

I didn’t get to 9 months without knowing so not quite the same but I found out I was pregnant at gone 6 months.

I was a size 10 and hadn’t put on any weight and wasn’t having periods regularly at all due to PCOS

I’d taken tests that were negative

I was going through a high level of stress at the time (leaving abusive exh/finding out a family member was a paedophile/losing my job/losing some friends) so maybe it through me off balance

GrandmasNightie · 27/05/2019 17:31

I don’t doubt there are lots of surprise pregnancies. But there are probably even more (according to midwives, health visitors and counsellors that I have spoken to) that are concealed pregnancies and don’t ever divulge the fact to family or friends. I know - I am one of them and I know of quite a few who were in my position - nobody suspected we were pregnant.
I am fascinated by those who genuinely don’t know they are pregnant. But I think it happens far less than we realise. And those who disagree with me - just remember I could be your friend/friend of friend/relative who had a ‘surprise’ pregnancy but I have given out the surprise pregnancy story that I am ok with for people to believe.

Swipe left for the next trending thread