Tawana Musvaburi, a 22-year-old woman from Buckingham, United Kingdom, has shared her experience of discovering her pregnancy only in the eighth month.
At the time, Tawana says she was 20 years old and had not experienced any pregnancy symptoms; she says she did not have a baby bump, no morning sickness or weight gain.
“I was living my life as a normal 20-year-old at the time going out drinking and partying the whole time, completely unaware that I was pregnant. I never gained any weight or experienced any other symptoms.” Tawana told Daily Mail.
This type of pregnancy is known as cryptic pregnancy- it typically affects either young women, who have never experienced a pregnancy, or women who believe they’ve gone through the menopause and who choose not to use contraception.
One day, Tawana felt so unwell and exhausted that she could barely get out of bed. Concerned, she hurried to the hospital, where an MRI scan revealed the surprising news: she was pregnant.
At the hospital, she was questioned about the possibility of being pregnant, to which she responded with a resounding “no”. However, the nurses persisted and urged her to undergo an MRI scan.
“When the nurse told me I was eight months pregnant, I just kept thinking this can’t be my baby and I couldn’t accept it. I didn’t think I wanted to have children, so I was terrified.”
She gave birth four weeks after finding out she was pregnant.
Her daughter who is now a toddler was born on 7 February 27, 2023 and was named River.
Tawana revealed that the experience of becoming a new mother was overwhelming to the extent of her being depressed.
“It was such a horrible and stressful time because there was so much to sort out in such a short space of time.”
However, with the unwavering support from her family, she is gradually adjusting and finding her footing in motherhood.
“Now, we are doing perfectly. She’s so bubbly and sassy. She’s talking a lot and I am loving being a mum,” she said.
