I lost 30 pounds and thought my appendix burst — but it was a baby

To womb it may concern …

Kayla Simpson, an Indiana University sophomore, was enjoying herself at a party when she was suddenly struck with intense abdominal pain.

She was rushed to the emergency room, convinced her appendix had burst. 

Turns out, however, she was in active labor with a baby she had no clue that she was carrying. 

“I went to the hospital thinking I had appendicitis,” said Simpson, 21, in her trending two-part TikTok testimonial. 

“I started screaming in pain and the doctor ran [into my hospital room],” she added. 

“It was a head!”

Simpson claims she had lost a significant amount of weight, and had experienced regular periods in the months leading up to giving birth.
Simpson claims she had lost a significant amount of weight, and had experienced regular periods in the months leading up to giving birth.
TikTok/kaylanicolesimpson

Kayla Simpson rushed to the ER thinking she had appendicitis. But once at the hospital she quickly discovered that she was in active labor with a baby she didn't know she was carrying.
Simpson rushed to the ER thinking she had appendicitis. But once at the hospital she quickly discovered that she was in active labor with a baby she didn’t know she was carrying.
TikTok/kaylanicolesimpson


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In her viral video series, which fetched a combined 16.9 million views, Simpson, from New Jersey, explained that she’d been experiencing regular menstrual periods and had lost weight in the months prior to welcoming her now almost 1-year-old daughter, Madi, last November. 

“Did I have my period all 9 months [of pregnancy]? I did,” the new mom confirmed. 

Simpson added that she and the child’s father — who she did not name, but said is actively involved in their daughter’s life — were not using birth control at the time of conception.

“[My period would] be the normal 4 to 5 days,” she said.

Despite her claims, doctors can confirm that it is not physiologically possible for a women to go through menses during pregnancy, though some degree of vaginal “spotting” is not uncommon. This may be due to changes in blood flow to the cervix, hormones, infection or implantation bleeding — when the embryo attaches to the uterine lining. However, heavy bleeding — more than a few spots — during any part of pregnancy is a cause for concern, at which point a doctor or midwife should be informed.

But when it came to changes in Simpson’s figure, she claimed that rather than gaining a baby bump, she was rocking a taut tummy all throughout gestation. 


Owing to her flat stomach and recent weight loss, Simpson had no inkling that she was with child.
Owing to her flat stomach and recent weight loss, Simpson had no inkling that she was with child.
TikTok/kaylanicolesimpson

“I had no stomach, I’d lost 30 pounds [before giving birth] and I was the skinniest I’d ever been,” she said, splicing in photos of herself cutting a svelte frame in a skimpy bikini during her second trimester.   

“As you can see, there’s nothing there,” Simpson said of her bulge-free belly.  

She went on to explain that her mom, who was by her side during the medical emergency-turned-delivery, was giving her father updates via text throughout the entire ordeal. 

“She’s pregnant,” read a text from Simpson’s mom to her dad, per screenshots of their iMessage conversation. Her shocked father replied, “Wow… holy s–t.

The new mom virally answered her TikTok commenters questions about the surprising situation.
The new mom answered questions on Tiktok about the surprising situation.
TikTok/kaylanicolesimpson

Simpson shared screenshots of the text message conversation between her parents as she was in labor.
Simpson shared screenshots of the text message conversation between her parents as she was in labor.
TikTok/kaylanicolesimpson


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The stupefied man continued to ask string of alarmed questions until his wife sent him a photo of Simpson — who delivered her daughter in 15 minutes flat — sweetly nursing the newborn in her hospital bed. 

But Simpson’s stunned TikTok audience was just as shook as her dear old dad. 

“The way that this is literally my biggest fear and is so terrifying omg,” wrote a sacred commenter. 

“[This is] my worst nightmare,” another commented. 

However, a number of women confessed to having similar pregnancy surprises. 

“Two weeks ago, I had a urinary tract infection and went to urgent care with the worst pain of my life and they saw I was pregnant (me not knowing at all). Two days later I had my daughter,” admitted a new mommy. 


Simpson assured her social media followers that her daughter, who is now almost one year's old, is "perfectly healthy."
Simpson assured her social media followers that her daughter, who is now almost 1 year old, is “perfectly healthy.”
TikTok/kaylanicolesimpson

“Thank you for sharing your story [because] that just happened to me (my baby boy turns one month today!) but I thought I was the only one in the world that this happened to!,” another penned with appreciation to Simpson. 

But the phenomenon isn’t that uncommon. One in 2,500 women make it to labor without previously knowing that they were pregnant. 

On TikTok the hashtag #DidntKnowIWasPregnant has racked up a staggering 26.6 million imprints. 

And despite being unaware of her delicate condition, Simpson says that two days after giving birth, she returned home with her “perfectly healthy baby and best friend.”