A 21-year-old woman from the UK has shared her extraordinary experience of discovering she was pregnant just weeks before giving birth — shedding light on the rare but real phenomenon known as a cryptic pregnancy.
In an interview with BBC journalist Nuala McGovern, content creator @tawanaofficial.tr recalled the shocking day she learned she was expecting.
“I woke up one morning and just felt like I was dying,” Tawana said. “My chest felt like it was caving in and I couldn’t breathe. I called my mom, and she told me to call an ambulance. The paramedics told me, ‘Don’t panic, but you’re pregnant.’ I just thought they were lying to me.”
Doctors later confirmed that Tawana was over eight months pregnant and could give birth within weeks — despite being on contraception and showing no classic signs of pregnancy.
“When they showed me the screen, I wanted to pass out,” she admitted. “I was just like, what is going on?”
Now a mother to a healthy daughter, Tawana says she’s finally adjusting to motherhood after what she calls “the biggest shock of my life.”
Her daughter is now almost three, and Tawana says the reality of being a mom still occasionally hits her.
“It does sometimes hit me when I wake up and I’m like, I have a baby. I’m someone’s mom,” she confessed.
Tawana also opened up about her struggle with post-natal depression, explaining that coming to terms with an unexpected pregnancy took time and support.
The interview also featured Maria Rogers, who didn’t realize she was pregnant until the moment she gave birth, and Professor Helen Cheyne, a midwifery expert at the Royal College of Midwives, who explained that cryptic pregnancies — while uncommon — occur more often than most people assume.
According to Professor Cheyne, several factors can mask pregnancy symptoms, including hormonal contraception, irregular cycles, or simply not experiencing expected changes in body shape.
Tawana’s story has since resonated widely on social media, sparking conversations about reproductive health awareness and the emotional aftermath of sudden motherhood.
