A teen who blamed her stomach ache on being constipated found out she was actually pregnant when she gave birth alone in her bedroom. Niomi Thomas was on a nursery placement last year when she started experiencing back and stomach aches but shrugged it off as constipation or period pains so took some pain killers.
But the next morning her pain worsened to the extent she could barely stand and when she lay on her bed felt a sudden urge to push and gave birth to her daughter Talia Thomas. The 18-year-old claims it was a 'shocking discovery' given she had no idea she was expecting as she had no symptoms throughout her pregnancy, took contraception daily and still had periods.
Nine months on from her surprise delivery, Niomi is reassuring others who have experienced cryptic pregnancies that they're 'not alone'. Photos captured by Niomi show her a fortnight before she gave birth with no sign of a baby bump and then ones of little Talia wrapped in a towel in her bedroom not long after she was delivered.
Niomi said: "I had no idea I was pregnant until I gave birth. It was a very crazy and shocking discovery. It sounds a bit silly because usually your periods stop, you get a bump and morning sickness and loads of different things, but I literally had nothing.
"My periods were still coming and going and I've always had irregular ones, so I just thought that was normal because that's how I've had them for quite a few years now. I didn't feel anything different. I just knew that I'd put on a bit of weight and was obviously quite upset about that but I didn't think it was pregnancy because it didn't look like it was a pregnancy gain as such.
"It got to the point where I couldn't work anymore so I went home. Overnight it got progressively worse and obviously looking back at it now, that was labour.
"I thought it was just constipation at the time because everyone [mother, neighbour and 111 operator] was like 'it might be constipation'. Because I thought I was on my period, I thought it was a combination of both.
"I was saying to my mum 'I'll be fine, don't worry about it'. About half an hour later I couldn't move at all. I was in my room and messaged her saying that I really didn't feel well so she told me to take some painkillers."
She said she took some painkillers but soon after became hot and sweaty and felt increasingly ill. Niomi said: "I went to lay on my bed and just looked out the window to try and focus on something else and by then water came out.
"It was obviously really traumatic and very scary because I was very confused about what was happening as I'd never felt that kind of pain before. I had this massive urge to push and I then felt a relief and thought 'oh great, the pain's gone' and I turned around and I was like 'oh my god, I've had a baby'.
"I was so shocked, it was literally like it wasn't reality. It's a lovely shocking story now but it was so traumatic to just see a baby on the bed without knowing you were going to have it."
The full-time-mum gave birth to her daughter Talia weighing 7lbs 3oz just before midday. Niomi said she was 38 or 39 weeks pregnant when she had little Talia and suspects she was in labour for more than 12 hours.
After giving birth, she immediately rang her mum, screamed for her father to help and rang an ambulance before she was taken to Kingston Hospital in Surrey for five days. Having no idea that she was expecting, Niomi said she drank around four iced coffees a day and enjoyed an average of three alcoholic drinks a week - despite this little Talia, now nine-months-old, was perfectly healthy.
Niomi: "Holding her in hospital was like 'wow, I'm actually a mum now and I've got a little girl that I have to look after'. It was just a very special moment. My friends had an instinct that I wasn't well because I didn't go to work and they knew that because we share our locations.
