A WOMAN has told how she gave birth in secret in her bedroom when she was just 16 years old – and told nobody for four days.
Sneaking out constantly during her youth, Miranda Ponthieux had grown up with a man she had known since nursery and fallen pregnant with his baby.
After noticing pregnancy-like symptoms, Miranda pushed them away as she remained skinny, not showing in the slightest that she could be pregnant.
The now 40-year-old from West Monroe, Louisiana, USA, said: “I was not feeling well, my stomach still kept cramping, and I told my mom, and she was like, ‘Oh, you’re probably going to start your period’.
“I had a baby in my room, and I did not know what to do.
“I was like freaking out big time. I had this baby in my room, and I had no idea what to do with it.”
Refusing to believe that being pregnant could be an actuality, Miranda utterly refused to tell her mum about the possibility she could be pregnant for fear that she would hit the roof in anger.
Miranda recalled how she got initially sudden bad stomach cramps as she pleaded with her mum for advice.
After confronting her mum about her pains, she advised Miranda to rest in bed and later that night Miranda told how it was ‘clear’ that her pains were a sign of something more.
She stayed home alone the day after, missing school in the process where she went on to give birth to a girl in her bedroom the same day.
Unsure what to do, Miranda safely placed her newborn underneath a car shelter, before a family friend visited the house where she then pretended to be surprised that the baby had appeared there.
Miranda pulled it off as well as she stated that ‘nobody had any questions about it’.
However, the lies and the secrets eventually proved too much for Miranda to handle as the guilt forced her to write a note to her mum, which she left in her car.
To her surprise, she was met with love from her mum and the rest of her family as they all immediately wanted to care for her.
During the four days, her daughter was left in state custody where she was looked after and fed while Miranda contemplated how to deliver the shocking news to her loved ones.
Reflecting on her secret teenage pregnancy, Miranda explained: “Not a single person in the world knew for four days.
“When I was 15, I was sneaking out all the time with this guy who I had been friends with since kindergarten.
“We lived right down the road from each other and obviously, we were doing things that led to me getting pregnant.
According to Healthline, baby bump sizes vary with pre-pregnancy fitness levels being a key factor.
Women with stronger abs are more likely to have a flat belly for longer and those with a six-pack will carry higher as the abdomen can support the weight better.
Pregnancy weakens the abdomen muscles which can make following baby bumps show sooner.
Increased water and bloating can cause some women to get a belly in the first trimester, despite the baby not being big enough to show until the second trimester.
“I didn’t get big, I was so skinny, super, super skinny.
“I stayed that way but there were signs to me that I was pregnant, but I didn’t get big, so I was like, ‘Well I can’t be’.
“It was a little girl, and I kept checking on her.
“She was in a closed basket full of clothes, and I made sure she was okay – I wrapped her up in a blanket, but I didn’t know what to do.”
