A lady, 𝗔𝗦𝗛 “𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗢𝗡” 𝗟𝗘Ó𝗡 – Ashleon, who ‘may’ have given birth in March 2021 (comparing the time she first posted the photo on her Instagram (December 2020) and when she repeated the same photos on her Twitter account), revealed that her bump didn’t start showing at the early stages of her pregnancy. 

 

Ashelon didn’t get any clear bump until after six months of being pregnant.

Stunned by her photos, Twitter users took to the comment section of her post to share their awe and how she looks good with a flat tummy for a six months pregnant woman.

 

Some even went on to compare themselves with her, saying on a regular day, their bellies is not as flat as hers who is even pregnant.

While there were all these reaction, another pregnant woman with an obvious posted her picture saying

“Me at six month “.

 

 

Close friends who know her, finally able to clear their doubt tweeted –

I knew it! But I chalked the small stomach difference up to holiday indulgence, not a diff type of indulgence

 

Congratulations girl!! 6 months where?! Lol

 

God really has favourites…

 

Omgggg congratulations wtf

 

God this is how I wanna be six months gone. Amen

 

god pls bless me like this woman when i get pregnant

 

Another shocker came when a tweepee tweeted –

Beautiful …I was just like this pregnant I did not show until 9 monthsSmiling face with sunglasses but I still felt pregnant all along

 

Ashleon later on Wednesday 7th, April 2021, posted on her Instagram saying she will share more photos while appreciating friends and family. This she did with phots from the remaining three months of her pregnancy.

 

I—I can’t even believe, that after months, I’ve finally brought myself to share what I have been protecting with every fiber of my being. This has truly been the most beautifully transformative era of my life. I extend my deepest and eternal gratitude to my family and friends that protected, supported, and loved on me so fiercely during this time. Thank you especially (only because my mama and pops ain gon see dis) to Matthew and Krys. Yall are truly, at the core, my best friends. My heart is so full of love and exaltation for you both; I don’t how I would have navigated this season of life and the seasons to come without you. As I rapidly approach my due date, I appreciate any prayers, well wishes, +positive energy at this time—anything else will not reach nor penetrate the spiritual barrier of myself or my burgeoning family. 🧿🪞🕯I sincerely look forward to sharing more of what has been such an ethereal experience. Thank you.

Cryptic Pregnancy: How you can be pregnant without a Baby Bump

Cryptic pregnancy is the phenomenon whereby women do not become consciously aware of their pregnancy until the last weeks of gestation or in some cases until they give birth. Many case studies report anecdotal cases where even relatives and family doctors do not become aware of the pregnancy.

 

 

In 2019, model, Erin Langmaid, said she didn’t know she was pregnant until giving birth.

 

Erin said she realized she was pregnant in the bathroom — 10 minutes before giving birth on the floor.

 

Smiling selfies posted to the 23-year-old model’s Instagram account in the 37 weeks leading up to her surprise labor betray no visible changes in her body. There was no baby bump and no morning sickness. She was on contraceptives, she said, and all of her clothes fit.

The story she shared is an extreme case of the rare but well-established phenomenon of “stealth” or “cryptic” pregnancy, experts say. One study estimates that 1 in about 2,500 women do not realize they are carrying a child until they go into labor, while 1 in 475 don’t catch on until 20 weeks into gestation. But research on the subject is limited, and there’s much that medical practitioners continue to puzzle over.

 

Christine Greves, a Florida-based OB/GYN, sees why many find Langmaid’s case “difficult to fathom,” especially given her body type. But it’s not outside the realm of possibility, she said.

 

“It demonstrates how amazing our bodies are,” Greves told The Washington Post.

 

“Cryptic pregnancies” is a more neutral phrase that doesn’t prejudge a woman’s experience, said Marco Del Giudice, a professor at the University of New Mexico who advocated using the term in a 2007 paper. The name also hints at how many aspects of the phenomenon — such as what causes it and who tends to experience it — remain mysterious to the scientific community.

 

 

“We don’t understand the biological basis of cryptic pregnancy any better than we did in 2007,” Del Giudice told The Post.

 

Doctors do have some ideas about what makes a pregnancy harder to spot. A placenta positioned in a particular way could keep the mother from feeling a baby’s movements, said Greves, the Florida OB/GYN, who runs a medical advice site for women. An irregular menstrual cycle — as well the fact that some women experience bleeding during pregnancy — could mean no telltale halt in periods. And it is not impossible to get pregnant while taking birth control.

 

But Langmaid’s experience stands out, said Richard Beckerman, chairman of the obstetrics and gynecology department at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington. Decades ago, during his residency, he treated two women who showed up in the emergency room with abdominal pain and did not realize they were pregnant until they’d gone into labor. But those women were overweight, making a pregnancy harder to detect, he said.

 

He hasn’t encountered another case in 30 years of private practice.

 

“We don’t see it a lot,” he said.

 

There are plenty of pregnancy red flags that clue women in to the fact they might be pregnant. Morning sickness, lack of periods, tender boobs and a bump, to name a few. But for some women, those typical cues don’t always happen, so often the first they know they’re pregnant is when they actually give birth.

 

“Cryptic pregnancy (when a woman does not realise she’s pregnant until giving birth) is rare, but not as rare as you might think,” explains Liz Halliday, Deputy Head of Midwifery at Private Midwives.

 

“Affecting up to 1:2500 pregnancies (according to a study published in The BMJ) it’s a phenomenon that many midwives will have to come across at some point in their career.”

 

According to Dr Vanessa Mackay, spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), there are two kinds of unknown pregnancies; a concealed and a denied pregnancy.

 

 

“A concealed pregnancy is one in which a woman knows that she is pregnant, but doesn’t tell anyone, while a denied pregnancy is when a woman is unaware of, or unable to accept, the fact that she is pregnant.”

 

But, how can you be pregnant without a bump?

“Although it is unusual to have an entirely flat abdomen in pregnancy, every woman ‘carries’ their pregnancy differently,” explains Meg Wilson, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at London Gynaecology.

 

“Women who have a long abdomen, may have more space for their uterus to develop upwards rather than outwards which may give the appearance of a ‘smaller bump’.”

 

“The female pelvis and abdomen is well designed to accommodate an enlarging uterus. As the uterus gets bigger with a developing pregnancy, the loops of bowel which fill the abdomen are pushed upwards and out to the sides.”

 

Your bump could also be influenced by the size of your growing baby. ”Some babies may be very small (growth restricted) which means they do not take up much space,” Meg Wilson continues.

 

Occasionally, baby can simply be playing hide-and-seek in your ribcage.

 

“If the uterus falls back, babies can sit there and grow to quite a big size before they can be felt in the abdomen. Occasionally, a prominent rib cage can also hide a growing uterus,” explains Dr Mackay.

 

 

Your pre-pregnancy bodyweight might also impact the concealing of a baby bump.

 

“Women carrying excess weight, especially around the midriff, may not notice the growing bump as pregnancy progresses,” explains Liz Halliday.

The strength of your stomach muscles have a part to play too. “Women who have very strong abdominal core muscles might not develop much of a bump as the muscles hold the growing uterus firmly and the baby tucks further into the spine,” Liz Halliday continues.

 

But I’m having my period?
Some women assume they can’t be pregnant because they continue to have what seem like periods. But it is possible to bleed while pregnant.

 

“Vaginal bleeding is relatively common during pregnancy,” explains Dr Mackay. “In the first few weeks, when the embryo plants itself in the wall of the womb, women may experience light bleeding called spotting, which often happens around the time a period would have been due.”

 

According to Yahoo, bleeding can also be caused by changes in the cervix as a result of pregnancy, or a sign of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy, however, many women who bleed at this stage go on to have normal and successful pregnancies.

 

“In later pregnancy, bleeding can be a sign of a vaginal infection, that the cervix is getting ready for labour, or a serious condition such as placental abruption (when the placenta starts to come away from the womb wall), placenta praevia (when the placenta is attached in the lower part of the womb), or vasa praevia (where the baby’s vessels run through the membranes covering the cervix).”

 

 

And if you had irregular periods before pregnancy, that can also throw you off the mum-to-be scent.

 

“While an absence of periods is the most common early symptom of pregnancy, there are many reasons why a woman may not menstruate regularly. Medical disorders, medication, contraception, a poor diet, stress and approaching the menopause can all disrupt menstruation,” Dr Mackay continues.

 

According to Liz Halliday there are some other explanations why women might not realise they are pregnant until they go into labour.

 

“A quiet baby or a placenta situated at the front of the uterus might mean that a woman isn’t aware of movements,” she says.

 

And women who suffer from stomach conditions, like IBS may mistake movements for gas or bowel pain.

 

Likewise, perimenopausal women may mistake signs of pregnancy for the menopause.

 

So there you have it, according to the experts it is totally possible to not have even the slightest inkling you might be pregnant until you give birth.

 

And while finding yourself an instant mum will no doubt be the biggest shock ever, at least it will cut out the panic-buying baby loot and the inevitable stressing about impending parenthood.