The Body Odd
We all get busy at times, so overwhelmed with work, family, friends and the obligations that we neglect our bodies. But how could so out of touch with your body that you do not know you're going to give birth?
Easy, say people involved with "" a 10-episode reality TV show which tells the story of 10 women who were pregnant and carry a baby full term without realizing they were pregnant.
"I think at first glance you think, how can a woman do not know," said Wendy Douglas, director of production for TLC network. "Obviously he does not pay attention or not smart or something. But it really did not happen. "
A number of circumstances can contribute to phantom pregnancy, said the doctor, starting with the fact that not all women have familiar nausea, weight gain, swollen ankles, food aversion and emotional ups and downs we have come to associate with pregnancy.
Symptoms of pregnancy can really vary, "said Dr. Michelle Evans, a reproductive endocrinologist from Pasadena, Calif., Who appeared on the show. "Some women have very minimal or no symptoms. Another woman would throw up every day. "
Hope can also come into play, experts said. Some women will have a pregnancy test and receive a false negative. Or told by their doctors they can not get pregnant. Mothers who had just delivered a baby is often (mistakenly) believe it is too early to get pregnant; Other women will use birth control but for whatever reason - expired condom, missed pills, antibiotics - the system will fail. Think there's no way they could possibly get pregnant, these women would attribute their symptoms to something else - morning sickness becomes bad bout with food poisoning, ankle swelling is because of all the time they spent on their feet. They will blame their weight on outside circumstances - stress from work, the fact they recently quit smoking - or they simply will not get a lot of weight in the first place.
"Some women only get 5 to 10 pounds in their pregnancy," said Evans. "A woman on the show it took all this extra Pilates classes and worked very hard to exercise because he is gaining weight and do not know why."
Other women's weight will go up and down so much that the extra pounds are normally not seem all that strange.
But would not this mother feels her baby kick?
"Everyone should have some fetal movement during the second half of their pregnancy but there is actually a range," said Dr. Karen Wells, an ob / gyn at the Center for Women's Health at the Hospital of Evergreen in Kirkland, wash , "If the weight of a woman he does not feel things quite a lot and if the placenta at the front, just below the stomach, and babies under it, which will protect it as well."
But if a woman does not believe she is pregnant, your baby's movements will often attributed to something else, said Evans.
"They probably thought they had indigestion or that there is something else going on that causes them to feel the movement," he said.
Even the old standbys such as a woman's period - or lack thereof - can often prove to be a reliable indicator, experts say.
"One of the things that I have seen in many cases is that women have very irregular menstrual cycles," said Evans, who studied the case histories of the women featured in the show. "Many are so irregular that their doctors told them 'If you want to get pregnant, we will have to help you because you are not ovulating.' So when they have symptoms during pregnancy, they are associated with several other conditions. "
Spotting - which often occur during a woman's pregnancy - is another factor that causes confusion. Women with irregular periods assumed an episode of spotting only haphazard period they arise.
Psychological factors such as fear and rejection also can play a role in the "surprise" pregnancy.
"Our thoughts are our most powerful organ, and there are people who really do not want to become pregnant and convince themselves that they do not," said Wells. "It happened twice during my residency. One time, a woman was in labor and was convinced she was not even pregnant when the baby crowns. Some people are in total and complete denial. "
Although the doctor said to be full term without knowing you will give birth to rare, this TLC Douglas said he has been inundated with tales of a surprise pregnancy.
"Every time the show airs, we get a flood of letters from people mengatakan'ini happen to me!" Or "I know someone this happened, '' he said. "I think now we have more than 150 stories that we could tell."
Indeed, the news is full of stories phantom pregnancy. Last December, he claimed never kicked during the entire pregnancy. And in March of last year ,, but gave birth to 6-pound, 3-ounce baby boy out of the blue, told reporters he has gained 10 pounds but inexperienced "signs and symptoms of pregnancy ... no nausea, no cravings, none of those things. "
As in life, the mother unexpectant featured in the show - which premiered September 30 -that of the whole society. Some in their late teens and early 20s, the others are in their 40s (woman about to undergo a hysterectomy when doctors discovered he was on the verge of giving birth). Some have had a previous child; new to the game the other parent. A woman - who did not experience any pregnancy symptoms - tells the story of his two deliveries of surprises, one at 18 and another three years later.
"Stealth mother" discovered via e-0mails and a letter sent to the producer of the show follows each episode and through.
Although unexpected, babies are all healthy though given the lack of prenatal care - and in some cases, the use of birth control pills or other drugs - there is a potential health problem. The mother, while not prepared, who are very passionate about their surprise package.
Since none of them knew they had a baby on the way, the story told in the form of flashbacks, through interviews with women and their friends and family (many of which guarantee incognizance mother or lack of symptoms) and a series of reenactments dramatic.
And it can be dramatic, said Evans, who has seen the birth of a surprise action.
"When I was a resident, I've seen a patient like this in the ER," she said. "A woman came and and family thought she had appendicitis or something horrible. They think he needs an operation. I evaluated and perform pelvic and I could feel the head. I said, 'Oh my gosh, we need to get him for immediate delivery' and everyone just jaw dropping. "
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