Pregnancy Mystified: Angela

Angela Ines Malvar was not expecting.  With multiple pregnancy tests coming back negative, she and her husband were unsure what to think.  Expecting the worst, her ultrasound revealed a shocking surprise!

At the start of the quarantine in Manila, Angela Ines Malvar was a mom of two.  It was March of 2020.  She and her husband, like so many, were unsure of what the quarantine would bring or how long it would last.  They settled into a routine of taking care of their kids during the day and then drinking whiskey and soju while watching K-dramas together at night.  “We were getting into K-drama,” she said. “So we chose a drink that matched what we were watching.”

A skipped period in June of 2020 did not bother her because her period had been irregular since the birth of her second child, who was already three-years-old at the time.  She took a pregnancy test as a precautionary measure, and it came back negative.  Entering the month of July, she did notice that she was becoming increasingly tired and sleepy, and she did not feel like drinking soju nor did she want to drink coffee–a drink she usually enjoys.

“Ang corny mo!” and “You’re so old!” were the things her husband would say to tease her.  She attributed it to pandemic fatigue, especially when a second pregnancy test in July came back negative.

Then she got her period, a week of bleeding, and soon after she started to feel a bit more energetic.  Her enjoyment for coffee also came back.  Feeling more normal and wanting to address the quarantine weight she had gained, she started jump roping and exercising with her husband.  Though the regular exercise routine made her feel great, it did little to address the weight gain in her belly area.

Another month (August) and another skipped period and another test coming back negative started to make her wonder if something else was wrong with her.  When September came, and she skipped her period again, and the pregnancy test came back negative again, plus she started feeling heavy in her stomach, she called her OB.

Initially, the OB theorised she could be entering perimenopause, or perhaps there was something they were not seeing. (Ovarian cysts and fibroid tumors can disrupt a woman’s menstrual cycle.)  In order to begin ruling out causes, her doctor encouraged her to get an ultrasound at a Hi-Precision clinic near her home and email the results.  Her husband asked their family to pray for her.  They weren’t sure what to expect, but they weren’t expecting what was there.

“Oh! You’re 21-weeks pregnant!” said the sonographer.

“Hah?!?” was the only response Angela could give.  It was September, and the past five months all slowly began to make sense.  She remembered the aversion to soju, the aversion to coffee, and feeling tired, slowly realising that her little daughter–they did a gender reveal on the spot–was sending her mother signals on what to drink and what to eat without her ever knowing that she was already in there, growing and thriving.

“I called my husband and said: Guess what?! I’m pregnant! And he couldn’t stop laughing,” Angela shared, herself laughing as she told the story.

Known as a cryptic pregnancy, or a pregnancy wherein the mother is unaware of the pregnancy due to menstrual bleeding and a lack of pregnancy symptoms, it happens to 1 out of every 475 women.  In many cases women not only get negative pregnancy tests, but they also get negative ultrasounds, negative blood tests, and low weight gain.  Often, these women find out about their pregnancy at around 20 weeks of pregnancy or just past the 20th week.

The sonographer that first saw Angela’s daughter through ultrasound said that using multiple pregnancy test brands is a good practice when trying to determine pregnancy.  Also, bleeding in the first trimester is more common than women realise, but that all bleeding should be checked by a gynecologist if pregnancy is suspected.

Angela was quite lucky.  Cases of cryptic pregnancy can be complicated, the bleeding often indicating problems in the womb and the low hCG levels potentially indicating a missed abortion.  In Angela’s situation, she dealt with a mild case of gestational diabetes, mostly due to her not having watched her diet in the first two trimesters of pregnancy, but apart from this, there were no other complications.

To avoid these occurrences, women have to truly stay in tune with their bodies, and understand that sometimes what you see isn’t always what you get.  Regular conversations about women’s health with doctors are encouraged, especially if pregnancy is a possibility.  

A week after discovering she was pregnant, Angela and her husband told their family that they were expecting a baby, and that the baby would be born in just about four months.  They were just as shocked as Angela but also just as happy.  They couldn’t believe that her suspected beer belly was actually a baby belly!

On January 11, Angela gave birth to her third child, a beautiful baby girl.  “This was the fastest pregnancy,” she said, laughing. “So soon after we found out, there she was!”

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About the writer

Rachel Kelly Davis has been a published writer since the age of 14, often writing features, essays, and cover pieces. In 2016 she started writing poetry, leaving index cards of her poems all over the world and posting the photos she is sent by the people who find them. She has worked in communications for over a decade, wearing various hats ranging from digital marketing and SEO practitioner, brand strategist, and investor relations officer. Most recently she was the Associate Vice President for Customer Experience (Public Affairs) at WSP Inc., a public relations company based in the Philippines. Currently she is happily raising 5-year-old Valentina and 6-month old Levi Grey while taking charge of Mommy Mundo’s web content. Find her and more of her recipes on Instagram @arkaydee