To any mother who has not only navigated her way through morning sickness, but been hampered by a huge bump and then floored by a long labour, the idea that you can be expecting a baby and not know is hard to grasp.
How can any woman possibly miss the tell-tale signs that she is carrying a growing baby inside her?
Yet, according to studies, the phenomenon is not as rare as you might imagine. In fact, statistics published last month show that one in 600 mums-to-be will be unaware they are pregnant until they give birth, or just before.
'It is something you come across very rarely as a midwife,' says Jen Mearns, midwifery manager of London's Birth Centre.
'There are a few very young women who are in self-denial about being pregnant. They might conceal their pregnancy from families and friends, and even pretend to themselves they aren't having a baby.
'But, difficult as it is for many people to imagine, situations where the woman truly has no idea she is having a baby really do happen. And often they occur in busy women, and particularly as they approach the menopause.'
According to Sue McDonald, from the Royal College of Midwives, such feelings of guilt are very common in women who give birth unexpectedly. 'People imagine giving birth suddenly must be wonderful because you haven't knowingly gone through the trials of pregnancy.
'But, in fact, a woman who gives birth unexpectedly will need lots of support. She will experience a whole range of emotions, and one might well be guilt as they berate themselves for not realising they were pregnant.'
For more on this story follow the link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1281456/How-woman-know-pregnant-gave-birth-A-new-study-suggests-common-think.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
No comments:
Post a Comment