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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:

PickAChew · 28/05/2019 00:06

I had regular 4 weekly bleeds right through my first and second trimester, with DS1. The first, at 6 weeks, was a big bleed with massive clots and, as I already knew I was pregnant, I was sure i was miscarrying. I had a few months of lighter bleeds, then a couple more big ones, much like a light period, before they stopped.

PerspicaciaTick · 28/05/2019 00:21

Tawdry, are those real statistics based on research or just some numbers you pulled out of thin air to make you opinion sound more credible?

53rdWay · 28/05/2019 09:51

I know someone who didn’t find out until the third trimester, and she was back and forth to the GP for months before that and the GP didn’t spot it either. She’d taken one pregnancy test and got a negative plus had an existing medical condition causing bloating and fatigue and irregular periods so the GP put her symptoms down to that.

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TwittleBee · 28/05/2019 09:57

My mum's carried small with all of her children. Only those she told knew she was pregnant with our youngest sister and so all the school mums were shocked when she returned after the Xmas Holidays pushing a newborn.

I've had somewhat regular bleeding throughout my 1st and half my 2nd trimester so if I wasn't TTC I might have assumed my periods were a bit whacky.

Also, as someone who has pretty shit bowels, baby movements aren't that different to my bowel spasms for first 22 weeks.

kiki22 · 28/05/2019 10:02

I went to college with a girl who went into hospital in agony her mum was a nurse and thought it must be her appendix when they got there were told she was in labour. She had no idea neither did anyone else she had always been chubby as a child so when she put extra weight on at 18 everyone put it down to being a big girl. Her mum was shouting about them being ridiculous and wrong until she seen the baby crowning.

yarnit · 28/05/2019 12:34

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!

I watched this. I don't believe she didn't know. Any doctor would know that if you were far along enough to have a visible bump there's every change a pregnancy test would be negative! I think it's possible for someone to not know, but incredibly rare, and in my experience (working as a medical professional) I think many people are simply in denial.

hsegfiugseskufh · 28/05/2019 12:42

Any doctor would know that if you were far along enough to have a visible bump there's every change a pregnancy test would be negative!

eh! that's not true.. pregnancy tests are supposed to work at any stage of pregnancy aren't they? I thought it was a myth that they don't work after so many weeks.

also WRT regular bleeding, its entirely possible to have regular (harmless) bleeding throughout pregnancy, and it would be really easy to equate this to a normal period.

tbh the thought that this could happen absolutely terrifies me!

yarnit · 28/05/2019 12:44

pregnancy tests are supposed to work at any stage of pregnancy aren't they?

This is simply not true. It's very common for tests to be negative later on in pregnancy.

Birdie6 · 28/05/2019 12:45

I used to work in the A+E department of a large hospital. One day, one of the young nurses from another department came down and asked if she could see a doctor because she had bad abdominal pain. Within about half an hour she had delivered a baby - and she was definitely surprised ! She'd had absolutely no idea of being pregnant. So yes it does happen.

SpaceCadet4000 · 28/05/2019 12:48

Someone I went to school with found out at 7 months when she was 21. She had no symptoms, had periods, and only went to the doctors because she thought she had ibs. She had just finished university finals and said that, if she'd been otherwise busy, she probably wouldn't have made the appointment.

I find it so funny that so many people are sceptical about this as if the more likely situation is all these women lying through their teeth.

hsegfiugseskufh · 28/05/2019 12:48

This is simply not true. It's very common for tests to be negative later on in pregnancy

how do you know this? what is your reference?

I don't understand how its possible and on some quick googling it seems as though yes it can happen, but very very rarely due to the "hook effect" whatever that may be.

yarnit · 28/05/2019 12:55

@PlantPotParrot I work in medicine and have seen it numerous times with my own eyes. Having said that have I worked a lot with pregnant women so may seem more common to me than others. It's not a myth.

bigKiteFlying · 28/05/2019 13:02

I did use to know two mothers who got to 5 and 6 month pg before knowing - they were already mothers - 3rd and 4th child respectively - they both had coils and had been to gp about symptoms prior to finding out about pg.

I though most cases were menopausal women where symptoms are attributed to other things and young girls who have irregular period or bleeding and in both cases there may be some denial.

Though I had a 9 lb + baby with my first pg- didn't have a bump till really late she was up under rib cage – I did have terrible heart burn, sickness and tiredness and baby kicks and knew I was pg but many people apparently didn't realise I was pg as no classic bump - I had early bumps with other two pg.

Theweasleytwins · 28/05/2019 13:06

Second pregnancy i didnt know until 16 weeks, the day after i did a test (id had 2 periods while pregnant then missed 1 i think) morning sickness started the next day

HighsandLows77 · 28/05/2019 13:06

I can believe it happens but I just don’t believe it’s as common as what people think.

I know 3 different women who all had ‘surprise’ pregnancies and didn’t know they were pregnant, well that’s basically what they told everybody at the end!

The first was scared and in complete denial, the 2nd and 3rd just concealed their pregnancies as they were late teens (18/19) and would have got in big trouble by family for being pregnant.

bigKiteFlying · 28/05/2019 13:13

I can believe it happens but I just don’t believe it’s as common as what people think.

I wouldn't disagree - Dsis friend who got pg at 16 claimed not to know and that she had periods - later it came out she knew but was terrified with good reason parents kicked her out - the boyfriend did stick around and they lived together till he died a decade later.

Parents have never really forgiven her – they had an older child with server SEN so perhaps couldn’t cope with pg teen as well – but they’ve never had anything to do with the GC even after the Dad's death.

HJWT · 28/05/2019 13:38

@JinglingHellsBells there was a girl on that ambulance show the other day went to a harry potter convention with her friend gave birth in the hotel toilet! She had a bump but the doctors took a pregnancy test and it was negative so they assumed she had a cyst and was sending her for tests! 🙄

Pinkvoid · 28/05/2019 13:49

I loved reading this article, it was the fact the partner said to her ‘Stacey, that’s a baby!’ . Very Sonia Jackson giving birth on the bathroom floor alone as well...

It does happen. My DM only found out she was having me at 20 weeks. She was on the pill so continued to have withdrawal bleeds, had no pregnancy symptoms. Went to docs thinking she had a UTI and they did a pregnancy test. Also had a friend who found out at 32 weeks. She was incredibly slim and there’s a photo of her a week before she found out, absolutely no bump at all. As soon as she found out the bump popped out of nowhere, it was so so bizarre. Maybe the body goes into denial, I have no idea.

bakebakebake · 28/05/2019 13:50

Yes. My friend had one.

She went to hospital with suspected appendicitis.

She was still having periods, no extra weight.

BitOfAKerfuffle · 28/05/2019 14:44

I knew with both my pregnancies but didnt find out until 16 weeks with first.
I was very unwell with 2nd so i knew straight away however i had bleeding throughout the pregnancy quite a lot of times which if i hadn't of known i could have attributed it to being my usual irregular periods and i also carry very small...with both babies everyone i knew that didnt know i was pregnant was surprised to see me with a newborn. i stopped in to pick DS up from school on the way home from hospital with new baby and all the school mums were asking me who the baby was because i had never looked pregnant at all.
Didnt carry to full term with either pregnancy but both were late preterm and both very decent weights as well 6/7lb even tho they were a bit early !

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