A 20-year-old Australian woman has shared her astonishing story of giving birth just 17 hours after discovering she was pregnant. Charlotte Summers experienced a 'cryptic pregnancy', a rare condition where a woman is unaware of her pregnancy until late in the term or even until delivery.
Ms Summers visited her GP on June 6 with concerns about gluten sensitivity and was asked to take a pregnancy test. Minutes later, she was told she was pregnant, but the doctor reassured her it appeared 'very early along'. However, an ultrasound at a local hospital revealed she was 'measuring 38 weeks and four days'.
Doctors found no fluid around the baby, necessitating induced labour. Ms Summers returned to hospital that evening, where her water broke and she gave birth after two hours of labour. 'I pushed for seven minutes and then my son was here,' she said, describing the experience as surreal.
Ms Summers had noticed weight gain and gone up two jeans sizes but attributed it to stress and relationship weight. She continued using birth control and experienced what seemed like menstruation during the pregnancy. The placenta's position at the front of her womb likely masked the pregnancy.
Despite some accusations of lying, Ms Summers provided hospital documents confirming a 'concealed pregnancy' and records of her ultrasound and delivery. She and her partner now 'love being parents', she said in a TikTok video.
