'I had no idea I was pregnant until I went into labour'
"Once I graduated, I thought now is the time to live my life and live a little - now I get to live my life a little differently than I had planned. But I'm not complaining, he's perfect, he's the best baby ever and I'm lucky."
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A teen mum has revealed all about her cryptic pregnancy - where nurses informed her she was going into labour despite having no idea she was pregnant.
Laren Dawn Nelson, gave birth to a bouncing baby boy named Silas, just hours after she had found out that she was pregnant when she went to hospital with stomach pains, which she believed to be a virus she had suffered with a year before.
The 18-year-old went through high school graduation, senior prom and her birthday - all whilst not knowing she was expecting.
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"The next thing I know the nurse looks at me and says you're pregnant - and you're also in labour,” Laren said.
"I was in complete shock - I did not know what to think - I started laughing and crying at the same time."
A cryptic pregnancy is where a person, such as Laren, will not realise they are expecting until a late trimester or in her case - as they go into labour.
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Mum initially thought she had a virus
Shortly after graduating and spending the summer like any 18 year old would - Laren came down with Covid, however after recovering she did not feel her usual self, suspecting something else may be wrong.
After meeting up with a friend at the shops, her pal noticed that she didn't look very well and the pair decided to go to the hospital to get her checked out - with Laren believing she may have a virus, which she suffered from a year prior to this.
The nurse recommended that she take a pregnancy test as a precaution with the 18 year old thinking nothing of it.
During this time Laren states that she was suffering from pains every couple of minutes.
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"She told me friend to get me a wheelchair"
When the nurse came back to see her the teenager was put in a wheelchair and taken to a separate room - with Laren fearing the worst to what it could be.
"I went to the grocery store, my best friend met up with me and she said, you don't look good and she brought me to the hospital,” Laren said.
"At the time we were guessing that a virus I had a year prior was coming back and attacking my stomach - we figured it was that, we expected the worst, but hoped for the best.
"This was way out of our expectations.
"I took the pregnancy test that the nurse asked me to and I made my friend wait in the waiting room.
"This nurse comes out and she has this look of shock on her face, she told my friend to get a wheelchair and told me to sit down.
"I sat down and I was like, oh, no, what is happening - because I was having these pains every couple minutes, which I didn't know at the time that they were contractions.
"We went into the next room and when I got into there I saw my teacher's wife, and my cousin who worked at the hospital - I was like, Oh, this is weird, like this kind of awkward and then she said ladies, I want you to sit down."
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"Mum thought it was a sick joke"
Laren said she sat down and grabbed her best friend’s hand before receiving the shock news.
"The next thing I know, she's like, so you're pregnant and you're also in labour,” she said.
"My friend was holding my hand and all I could think was - shoot, I need to call my mum.
"My friend calls my mum and she's like, hey, so Laren's in labour - I brought her to hospital and she's pregnant.
"My mum instantly starts panicking saying who's there? Questioning if it was some sort of sick joke.”
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"I didn't think I'd be a mum"
It wasn’t long before Laren was needing to push, and she soon gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
"I heard the cry and I started crying and then I looked over at him and he looked perfect.
"His name is Silas, and he is the sweetest little baby in the whole world, he's perfectly healthy and he is living his best life.
"My parents have been a huge help and my friends have been amazing.
"I didn't think at 18 I'd be a mum.
"Once I graduated, I thought now is the time to live my life and live a little - now I get to live my life a little differently than I had planned.
"But I'm not complaining, he's perfect, he's the best baby ever and I'm lucky."
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Originally published as 'I had no idea I was pregnant until I went into labour'
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