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Cryptic pregnancy: Woman fit get belle make she no know?

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Tue, 17 Jan 2023 Source: BBC

Hundreds of children na im dem dey born every year to mothers wey no sabi say dem get belle.

Scientist and medical sabi pipo dey refer to dis kain pregnancy as cryptic pregnancy.

In some cases, pesin fit even only realise dem dey pregnant because labor don start.

Most pipo dey realize say dem get belle somewia between four and 12 weeks of pregnancy. Dis fit be because dem get symptoms of pregnancy or because dem miss dia period.

One women, Klara Dollan wey follow BBC tok about her experience some years ago bin say her day bin start normally and di day end wit her becoming a mother.

'Na my first day for a new job'

Na Monday morning. I wake up at 04:00 wit di worst period cramps I don ever get for my life . I bin don take di pill continuously for di last six months, wit no breaks. I bin tink say dis na period wey dey come with vex. I bin tink say why e come on di first day wey I dey start a new job?

My Mama give me some paracetamol and say: "You need to go, off you go." Di pains bin dey slow and e last maybe half a minute. E no be like wetin I don ever experience before. I begin sweat well-well.

Wen I reach office, dis pain come over me, and I remember di pen break for my mouth and my nails begin dig inside my notebook. I turn to my mentor and I say: "I need to go, I no dey feel too well." So I waka comot.

Wen I reach my house, I begin search through my bag and my keys no dey dia. So I call one locksmith. E take dem two hours to come. I begin waka around because e dey help di pain. Everytin just dey go through my mind.

I begin tink of dates but I bin tink say wait o, dat no go dey possible , I go dey nine months pregnant!.

Di locksmith come around and I bin really dey desperate. E tok say: "I go need break your door down." So I get in and I get into bed, wear my pyjamas. Di only place wey I feel comfortable na on di toilet.

At dis point, di pains begin get closer togeda and I begin scream.. [Di building caretaker] hear me. I say: "Call di ambulance, sometin dey seriously wrong wit me!"

'I push di pain away'

At dis point, I dey bleed, but really heavily. Im no sabi wetin to do, so e go knock my neighbor door, wey dey work from home. She waka enta my bathroom and I dey half naked on di toilet. I tell her say I tink say I dey get a miscarriage.

My neighbour call ambulance. Dis na wen my body just completely shut down.

I push and push twice and I see one head come out. My body dey tell me to push di pain away. So I push and my daughter, Amelia, come out. She dey full-term... dey scream. She begin cry, me sef begin cry.

I completely break down. Pipo dey normally prepare to become parents. Na only two seconds I get to figure out wetin go happun to me and wetin I suppose do. I even consider to hide am all. Di ambulance come and four paramedics dey my tiny bedroom.

Dem take di baby away to check her, clean her up a bit and cut her umbilical cord. She bin weigh 7lb 2oz [3.2kg]. Den dem cari us for two separate ambulance go hospital.

Wetin be cryptic pregnancy and who fit get am?

Cryptic pregnancy (or stealth pregnancy) na wen one pregnant pesin no sabi say dem get belle. For some cases, pesin fit no sabi say e get belle until labor start.

For cryptic pregnancy, notin fit trigger pesin to believe say e get belle. Dis fit be because dem no get symptoms of pregnancy or mistake symptoms of pregnancy as a virus, or dia pregnancy test result dey wrong.

According to Cleveland clinic, anybody fit get cryptic pregnancy but sabi pipo don list di kain pipo wey fit dey more at risk.

Pipo wey just give birth:  Afta you give birth, e fit take many months for your period to return and you fit no ovulate if you dey breastfeed and dis one fit give di fake impression say dem completely dey safe from pregnancy. E dey difficult to predict first ovulation during breastfeed and wen you go become fertile again.

Pipo wey get condition like PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome): Pipo wit PCOS get periods wey dem no fit predict. Because skipping periods =dey normal for dem, dem fit no realize say dem get pregnant if dem miss dia period.

Pipo wey dey use birth control: Pipo wey dey use birth control fit mistakenly tink say dem dey protected from pregnancy. Even wen dem use am correctly, small chance of failure dey.

Pipo wey dey menopause: Pipo wey dey in dia 40s fit tink say dem dey too old to get pregnant or mistake pregnancy symptoms for menopause symptoms.

Pipo wey neva get belle before: If you neva get belle before, e dey likely say you no sabi how belle dey do pesin. Dis means say you fit no notice pregnancy for longer period.

'No signs'

"I bin mainly dey tink how I wan afford dis child, and how I take miss all di signs? I bin dey slimmer dan I be. I no dey crave anytin. I no get back pains. I bin get two periods wey be like small spotting.", Klara Dollan tok

During di pregnancy, Karra say she bin dey take di pill six months back-to-back and she only stop to take am two weeks before she born Amelia.

"Di placenta dey di front and Amelia bin dey di back so I no dey feel di kicking like dat.

"Every time my daughter dey move around, e go feel more like butterflies, or even bowel movement. E no feel like full-time baby punching around inside of me."

She say pipo bin tok say all dis na fake, say she make am up . But Karra say she no go fit do am because her health dey at risk and dat of her child.

Source: BBC