Bizarre case of 17-year-old who only discovered she was 9-months pregnant after going to A&E feeling 'funny' and who then gave birth on the same day

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Like millions of women every year teenager Paige Hall decided to take a pregnancy test after waking up 'feeling funny'.

Little did she know she would have a baby that same day.

It was only after attending A&E that medics told the shocked then 17-year-old that she was in fact 9-months pregnant and needed a C-section there and then.

Ms Hall had experienced what medics call a cryptic pregnancy which is where a woman shows no obvious signs she is expecting, such as periods stopping or developing a tell-tale baby bump.

Now 25, the mum from Prestwood, Buckinghamshire, recounted how stunned she was to learn she was 39 weeks pregnant and would become a mother that day.

Paige Hall, 25, had a cryptic pregnancy and did not realise she was 39-weeks pregnant

'I was so scared. I was young, I was on my own. And it just the idea absolutely petrified me. But I truly believe everything happens for a reason,' Ms Hall said.

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In a video she explained she had no symptoms of pregnancy and had a non-existent bump as she showed an old image of her looking down at her 'bump' (pictured)

Ms Hall explained she was taking contraception the time and never missed a period for the entire nine months that she was pregnant with her son Jenson.

As for her non-existent bump, the mum explained that her son was laying across her back, so she still appeared to look very slim.

It wasn't until she was 39-weeks pregnant that she noticed any symptoms.

She said: 'I was on the combined pill, but I just want to make it clear that there isn’t a contraception out there that is 100 percent protected.

'I did not miss a period whatsoever, not one, which was obviously another telltale sign as to why I didn’t think that I was pregnant.'

Ms Hall explained that one morning she woke up and felt 'really funny' and took pregnancy test which was positive.

In a panic Ms Hall called her doctor before being advised to get a scan at the hospital.

Once the scan was completed she said she didn't see the result straight away but recalled how medics presented her with leaflets about getting a C-section.

'While I had the scan, all the nurses are running around. I thought, Okay, a bit strange. They came back in with all these brochures and said that if I wanted a C-section, I had to have it that day because of how far along I was,' she said.

Despite being completely unaware of how far along she was, her son, Jensen, was born completely healthy at seven pounds 13 ounces and she described him as the best thing to ever happen to her.

As an absolutely terrified teenager with nothing prepared to look after a child, she didn’t know where to turn for help so decided to ask online and said she found an entire community of people who had or were going through a similar experience to support her.

She said: 'I went on online sites, and I asked and pleaded with the community to help me. So many members of the community reached out and they helped me with absolutely everything I needed.'

'Sometimes being pregnant and being a mom can be really, really lonely. And we all have our own struggles,' she added.

'Jensen was supposed to come to me and come into my life, and I would not change him for the absolute world.'

A 2002 paper published in the British Medical Journal estimated cryptic pregnancies occur only in about one in every 2,500 pregnancies.

Dr Lawrence Cunningham from health advice business UK Care Guide said cryptic pregnancy appeared to be linked to several factors.

'From what I’ve observed, the rarity is influenced by several factors, including hormonal imbalances, the use of contraception like the mini pill, and individual differences in how women experience pregnancy symptoms,' he said.

He added: 'Some women might continue to have what appear to be regular periods, and if they don’t show a typical pregnancy bump, it can be quite challenging to recognise the pregnancy without specific tests.'

Dr Cunningham added that in addition to being unusual, cryptic pregnancies also carried unique risks.

'One of the primary concerns is the lack of prenatal care, which is crucial for monitoring the health of both the mother and the developing baby,' he said.

'Without regular check-ups, potential complications such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, or foetal growth restrictions might go unnoticed and untreated.'