The transition into motherhood is an exciting time for many women. That may not exactly be the case though, if you suddenly find yourself a mom and you didn't even know you were pregnant. One woman shocked internet users when she took to TikTok with details about her "cryptic pregnancy," explaining that she gave birth to a surprise baby and then returned to work the next day.
TikToker Britt says she gave birth to her daughter when she was 7 1/2 months pregnant, but the 23-year-old says she didn't even know she was expecting when she arrived the hospital, according to the New York Post. The shocking revelation has people on TikTok wanting to know more about Britt and her life as a new mom.
Britt didn't have any pregnancy symptoms.
In the 25-second clip Britt posted on TikTok, she explained that she was at work when she started experiencing stomach pains and left early to seek medical attention at a nearby hospital.
"POV: You admit yourself into the ER for stomach pain after work and get told that you’re in labor after 7.5 months of not knowing,” she wrote at the beginning of the video.
The now-viral video is a compilation of photos starting about two weeks and a few days before Britt gave birth, up to to her holding her new bundle of joy. In the photos, she has no detectable baby bump, and she says she kept her weight at 110 to 115 pounds throughout her unexpected pregnancy.
Women who have irregular periods can still get pregnant.
In the video, Britt indicates she's been living with irregular periods since she was a teenager and never thought she was pregnant. Having irregular periods is common among women who are still experiencing their monthly cycles. Banner Health notes that tracking ovulation may be difficult for women with irregular periods because menstrual flow occurs at different times each month.
Britt also revealed in a follow-up clip that her body went through stages of trauma after her childhood dog passed away. The traumatic event triggered seasonal anxiety and depression, along with "stomach twitches" and "gas" that she had before she was pregnant.
“I’ve had a lot of other things to factor in and a lot of things that was already occurring to me,” she said in the two-minute video.
Britt explained how she left work, gave birth, and returned to work — all within 24 hours.
In another clip, Britt said she didn't tell her manager what happened. She discharged herself from the hospital and returned to work a few hours after giving birth. “My daughter was born a little bit before 2 a.m.,” she said in the 51-second clip. “I was discharged a little bit before 6 a.m. And my shift started at 10:30 or 11.”
When she got to work, Britt told her manager that she was in the emergency room after inventory because she wasn't feeling well. She said her body was still in shock after the surprising ordeal and she decided not to share the full story.
“I gave my manager a note that was like, I’m not going to be here for my next few shifts and I just stopped going to work because I have more important stuff going on,” she said. “The words I had a baby could not come out of my mouth, [it] was a movie scene to me.”
TikTok users shared their thoughts on the young woman's surprising pregnancy.
The viral video has amassed more than 2.5 million views, prompting followers to share their thoughts on Britt's surprising pregnancy.
“I wish more people would realize that there’s no one way to experience pregnancy,” a user wrote. "Like you said there’s a lot of things to factor in."
“Gorgeous baby,” commented another follower. "The female body is so wild and still mysterious."
“Yep…happened to me, no missed periods, on birth control & no signs of pregnancy, none, I carried to full term,” a third user explained.
While the road to motherhood was unexpected for Britt, she said she's thankful for her daughter and looks forward to life as a new mom.
According to Web MD, a cryptic pregnancy is a rare occurence among women, and it means that a woman has no idea she's pregnant and doesn't experience any symptoms. But it should also be noted that some women don't pay much attention to missed periods, weight gain, or other mild signs of pregnancy that sometimes happen during the early stages of a pregnancy.
