'E no make sense at all' - 21 year-old mum share experience wit cryptic pregnancy

To born baby at di age of 21 no bin dey Tawana plans.

According to her she say "I bin dey live a wild, crazy life, 2 she dey go party and enjoy herself wit friends.

Dat na until she end up for hospital afta she bin collapse.

She bin no know why. Na dia dem tell her say she go born pikin in four weeks time.

"I start to get panic attack," Tawana tell BBC Reliable Sauce podcast.

She bin no expect di news.

"Becos somebody dey tell you say, yeah, you get four weeks to get your life togeda."

Afta dem admit her for hospital doctors bin ask Tawana to take a pregnancy test bifor dem go do MRI scan.

She bin dismiss di concern as some tin wey no dey serious - onto say she get contraceptive implant for her hand and she no show symptoms of say she get belle.

So wen di test come back negative Tawana bin dey even more convinced say she dey right.

But one nurse bin try to convince di doctor to let her do ultrasound, as she still believe say Tawana fit dey pregnant.

River papa, Emmanuel, say wen Tawana bin tell am di news say she dey due to give birth, im no believe her.

"E no just didn't make sense at all," im tok. "e dey like miracle."

To born baby without any of di typical symptoms like vomiting or a noticeable bump na wetin sabi pipo dey call cryptic pregnancy.

E dey rare, but Tawana say doctors tell her say "e dey more common for di black community" to have get am.

"[Dem tell me] say na becos of our hip and bone structure di baby no dey grow outwards, e dey grow inside and e dey more likely to become breech," she tok.

"So wen time reach for me to born, my biggest concern na if she go dey upside down."

Although data on cryptic pregnancy no really dey available, Alison Leary, one professor of healthcare for London South Bank University say one data suggest disparities in maternity care wey women dey experience from ethnic minorities.

"A lot of studies don show women, particularly black women, get poor results in terms of pregnancy and childbirth," she tell BBC Newsbeat.

And she feel say dem need to do more research and make am available on di specific issue of cryptic pregnancies.

"Dat na why na important issue even though e dey affect a small amount of pipo becos if you don't get early access to good maternity care, good antenatal care, you dey more likely to experience poor outcomes."

Four weeks and four days afta dem tell her say she dey expect baby, Tawana born River afta she bin do her baby shower.

She say she struggle afta she born wit post-natal depression, and add say she go TikTok to find advice on becoming a young mum for short notice.

But she say she no find anybody. apart from one woman for US wey get similar experience too.

"I bin go through a really deep depression becos e dey like, nobody give me any advice.

"Nobody tok about dis. Like, wetin be dis? And den I think I see like one video, wey get 100 views from one girl for America wey bin dey tok about am.

"And she literally dey like di only pesin wey advise me."

Tawana later decide to share her unique experience online, for one video wey don almost get 400,000 likes.

She bin also start podcast, to speak oda mums.

Tawana say she share her story and her hope na say e fit generate more support for young mothers wey go find out say dem dey pregnant for di last minute.

She say she dey lucky enough to get financial help from her mama, but she know say oda feel no dey lucky like her.

Ideally, she for like setup charity.

" Help no dey anywhere, so if something happun to you, how you go cope?"

Wetin be cryptic pregnancy?

*Na wetin dem dey use wen woman no get idea say she dey pregnant - some women no go know until dem dey labour

*About one in 2,500 births na"cryptic birth"

* Dat dey equal about 300 births for UK evri year

Some cases dey associated wit a period of stress wen woman no,experience, di usual signs of pregnancy

*Even women wey get irregular or absent periods still experience oda pregnancy symptoms

Source: Helen Cheyne, professor of midwifery for di University of Stirling



Tawana and Emmanuel, wit dia baby, River afta dem speak to BBC Reliable Sauce podcast