EVERY woman knows that dreaded feeling of getting your period unexpectedly.
However, for one Nando’s employee her early cramping meant something entirely different.
The tot, who is now two, was born premature with two brain bleeds and had to spend weeks recovering in the NICU[/caption]
Destiny Stephens-Coull, 22, had been working a shift at the Laindon, Essex, branch in April 2022 and felt cramps like her period starting – even though she wasn’t due on for two more weeks.
She ended up bleeding heavily in the toilet for over an hour – before being rushed to the nearby Basildon Hospital.
To her bewilderment, Destiny was told she was six months pregnant – despite having periods and gaining no weight.
She discovered she needed an emergency C-section under general anaesthetic and woke to meet her unexpected son, Kingsley, now two.
The baby then had to fight for his life after being born 10 weeks premature on April 13, weighing just three pounds one ounce.
Destiny has since returned to her restaurant with Kingsley in tow and was even sent a Nando’s-branded babygrow from the company.
Since giving birth, Destiny has decided not to go to university and instead focus her efforts on opening a new dance studio.
“We went into Nando’s when he was still in his pram and we went in there in to see my friends,” the mum-of-one said.
“I didn’t feel I needed to go back into the toilets though!
“I couldn’t believe that was where it all happened.
“After Nando’s found out I’d had a baby they got him a Nando’s babygrow
“We loved it – it was nice to know that we weren’t forgotten about.
“Even though I didn’t return to the job they just wanted to support me and know I was OK.”
She added that none of her former co-workers or friends have judged her, explaining “it’s nice to have all the love”.
“It’s a great anecdote too!” the Essex native said.
What is a cryptic pregnancy?
What is a “cryptic pregnancy”?
By medical definition, a cryptic pregnancy is one that is failed to be detected by medical testing.
There may be signs there, but essentially a cryptic pregnancy is one where these signs are not obvious to the woman, or she denies they are there.
A pregnancy test may come back negative even after the woman has missed her period for a number of medical reasons.
If she does get an ultrasound despite a negative pregnancy test, it’s possible a pregnancy won’t show up in the first trimester because of problems such as the way the uterus is shaped, or simply because the medic doesn’t spend time looking for it if they don’t believe it’s there.
Most people notice symptoms of pregnancy such as tender and swollen breasts, mood swings, fatigue, and nausea early on in their pregnancy.
But this could be dismissed by the woman as being caused by something else, such as a condition or diet.
There are also cases where someone become pregnant in their early teens before they understand the symptoms of pregnancy.
Cryptic pregnancies aren’t common, but they’re not unheard of, either. Anecdotal evidence suggests that women might not be aware of their pregnancies in up 1 in 475 cases, according to a British Medical Journal report.
Some women are more likely to have a cryptic pregnancy than others because they believe it is not possible for them to have a child.
It includes those with PCOS, who may have been told it will be difficult for them to have a child, and women on birth control pills, because the woman thinks the pill will protect her entirely from conceiving.
Women with low body fat may also fail to detect they are pregnant if their periods are irregular or absent as a result of being so slim.
Babies born from a cryptic pregnancy tend to be underweight, and the lack of prenatal care may affect their development.
But what about the bump?
A women may have a smaller bump – one she and others around her deem insignificant – for a number of reasons.
TikTok sensation NHS surgeon Dr Karan Rajan explained: “Most women have an anteverted uterus, [meaning] it’s slightly tilted forwards.
“But one in five have a backwards tilt towards the spine.”
The GP explained that for some women, their uterus may remain tiled backwards for the duration of their pregnancy.
“This ‘backwards growth’ could hide any bump,” he stated.
Other factors that could result in an invisible pregnancy could be “previous surgery, endometriosis and other gynaecological conditions [that] could scar the utroseacral ligament”.
“These are basically biological anchors which keep the uterus fixed to the spine and inside the pelvic cavities,” Dr Rajan explained.
“If these are stiff because of scarring, these ligaments can literally hold the uterus back and stop it from protruding too far out.”
People who are taller also have more of a chance of not displaying a noticeable bump when they’re expecting, the NHS surgeon went on.
“If you’re taller, you’ll have a longer torso so there’ll be more space for the uterus to develop upwards rather than just outwards,” he said, possibly giving the appearance of a small bump.
And if you have particularly “well developed” abs, this may make your uterus “develop closer to your core rather than protruding out”.
Destiny, who now works part-time at a bar alongside her dance classes, arrived at Nando’s just before starting her 3:00 PM shift on April 13.
She was completing her final year of college and had just been offered a place at university for the following year.
Like a typical 18-year-old, she went out clubbing on the weekends, wore crop tops, and drank booze with friends.
But as she arrived she felt what she thought was her period starting – despite not being due on – and rushed to the loo.
After 30 minutes, she called her manager to bring some tampons – but she was bleeding too heavily to use one.
“The toilets were like a murder scene – there was blood everywhere,” she recalled.
“We went to A&E with me bleeding through my work uniform.
“I was standing in the corner with a puddle of blood at my feet.
“I passed out from the blood loss and woke up to nurses around me.
“They asked me if I was pregnant – and I said no.”
Destiny recalled the disconnect she felt when she first met her baby boy.
“When I first saw Kingsley, I didn’t feel like a mum – he was adorable, but it felt like I’d been given a random baby to look after,” she said.
“But when I fed him for the first time, I knew he was mine.
“I never planned to have a child and I thought I’d be judged because I’m so young – but everyone has been so supportive.
“But I’m so happy – Kingsley is growing up to be such a kind and caring little boy.”
Little Kingsley was been born with two brain bleeds as well as hydrocephalus and jaundice.
The tot stayed in the NICU until August 2022, while doctors found a way to stabilise him.
After nearly three years of being a mum, Destiny has described it as “stressful” and says at times it still feels like she’s looking after a sibling.
It is weird and I’ve lost friends along the way but I think it shows who my real friends are.
Destiny Stephens-Coull
“It is weird and I’ve lost friends along the way but I think it shows who my real friends are,” she said.
“It’s more about taking time for me and him now, which I really love.”
She’s now looking forward to moving out of the mother and baby unit she’s been living in and opening her dance studio.
“With my living situation, I’ve been in a mother and baby unit for nearly two years,” Destiny added.
“Opening the dance school will hopefully help me in the future and going to university doesn’t worry me too much.
“There are a lot of people who have got really far without university.
“Why can’t I build something on my own? I feel like I’m comfortable with the people around me now.”
