This story is about Katie Smith. She had to go through a strange thing when she was still in her mid-twenties. She was only 24 years old when doctors realised that something strange was growing inside her.
Katie’s stomach began to grow big and it seemed like she was pregnant. Yet, shockingly, she was not pregnant! She took several pregnancy tests and each of them turned out to be negative. Doctors had no idea what was happening to her.
Her Story
Smith is from Swansea in Wales and she is now 30 years old. In 2014 she started to become fat and it seemed like she was nine months pregnant. She told the BBC that she was not a skinny person, but she grew a belly like this in no time.
Katie was healthy and she was concerned about keeping her body shape. She wanted to keep her curves and she was a regular member of the gym. This was why her weight gaining was so unusual. But, there was no answer for it and it remained a mystery.
Not As It Seems
Katie was so worried about whether she would be able to go to her work Christmas party because she was not comfortable with her outfit. She felt insecure; like she was fat and not attractive enough.
Katie did everything she could do to stop her belly from growing, but nothing worked. She said, “I was exercising and eating healthy, but I was slowly getting bigger. There’s nothing worse than keeping a healthy lifestyle, but still gaining an excessive amount of weight.”
What Was Going On?
She also said, “It crept up so slowly [that] I didn’t know anything was wrong – I thought I was putting on timber.” No matter how much she worked out or managed a strict diet, her belly didn’t stop growing.
And it came to a point where she could no longer ignore her condition. She noted that she gained all this weight from her stomach and it felt so different. How could she proceed to live with this?
Staying Hopeful
Then she felt like her stomach was hard and sore to touch. Nonetheless, she didn’t get stressed, she just stayed positive. She was hopeful that it would go away by the time, but it seemed like it was not going away.
Her dress size was increasing rapidly and she was now a size eight. Yet, she was too scared to see a doctor. She grew up with her father who was a doctor and it made her a little anxious.
Her Gut Feeling
Considering all the possibilities, Katie could come up with only one answer. She was not prepared for it, yet, she was quite sure that she could make up her mind for it. What was she thinking?
Pregnancy would explain her belly growing and weight gain. At least she thought so. She was always feeling tired. There were reasons to think that she was pregnant as she had a serious relationship.
Unplanned Pregnancy
When thinking about everything, Katie being pregnant indeed made sense. This wild guess made Katie and her boyfriend agitated. They knew that it was unplanned. Nonetheless, with what was happening to Katie, there was a possibility that she was pregnant.
Katie and her boyfriend Jamie Gibbons had been together for 10 years and they knew that there was a possibility of Katie being pregnant. Even though they were not ready for this, they realised that they have to check.
The Blue Stripe
Surprisingly, the results turned out to be negative and the couple were astonished. They thought that the test is incorrect and they decided to take the test again. Yet, it indicated the same result again.
They were super astounded. They realised that it was time to see a doctor. What was happening with Katie? Was she really sick? Did she have a miscarriage? Thousand of questions hit their mind and without a doubt, she was so scared.
Facing Her Fears
Katie was left out with no other option than to see a doctor. Unluckily, when she met a doctor, she did not get the answer that she expected to get. The doctor said that she was “merely fat.” She had no other option to do.
Even though doctors assured that there was nothing to worry about, Katies felt like something was not okay. She thought of ignoring it as there was no influence on her daily life.
Not Trustworthy
She was not able to think about what was happening to her. If she was not pregnant, then what was it? She didn’t trust what the doctors said. But still, as they were professionals, she ought to trust them, right?
Even if she was pregnant, there wouldn’t be an issue when she gave birth. Yet, astonishingly, her belly continued to grow for over two years. It kept growing bigger each day something terrible happened to her at work.
She Didn’t Feel Well
Katie was at work when she felt light-headed and nauseous. It happened suddenly. Then she fainted. Later she was told by her colleagues that she fainted and taken to a doctor.
Katie said, “It was a tough period at work and when I passed out my GP put it down to stress.” She was left out with no option. She had to continue living with this condition as if it was a permanent part of her life.
All From Stress?
Is it possible to faint if you are merely just stressed? Katie was not ready to accept this explanation. Her doctor ensured that there was nothing wrong with her and indeed that she was not pregnant.
But, it was impossible to hide from unwanted attention from people. They had many questions about her “pregnancy.” She had to answer several questions and she had to repeat herself numerous times.
No End In Sight
Katie always answered with the same response day in and day out, ” The doctors say I am just overweight.” Although she was annoyed with the situation, she also saw no end approaching.
Katie stated that people were so eager about her pregnancy, they kept asking questions like when the baby was due. She was so embarrassed and she had to lie to people that she was just overweight.
Changing Appearance
Because of her huge stomach, Katie was wiggling and she felt like embarrassed about her appearance. She could not live as she wished like earlier, now she had to shop in the maternity section to find her clothes.
“I remember trying to shop for clothes in December 2016 and nothing would fit. I was skin and bone on top, then this massive lump and normal legs. The only thing that was going to fit was maternity wear,” said she.
Needs Help
Katie had a tough decision about getting help. It was only after she fainted at work and go through a few breathing difficulties she decided to take medical assistance. It was better if she made that decision, if not she would end up in a big mess.
And she would never go meet a doctor if her colleagues did not force her to get checked out. Many people had the same question why was not she taking care of herself. And also, they wondered why she waited this long to get help.
A New Explanation
Katie was trying to live her life ignoring the situation she was going through. But things got extremely when she fainted four times! The doctor said it was because of the acne medication that she used. But she knew that something else was going on.
It appeared like the doctors didn’t take her symptoms seriously. They said numerous reasons. They scolded Katie that her lifestyle was not healthy. She ultimately decided that she should find the reason, no matter what happened.
Enough Was Enough
She didn’t want to accept all the explanations given by the doctors. She felt like there was something else. So she consulted another doctor who also said that she had to be pregnant. She had to go through many blood tests, but they came back with no results.
Despite all the blood tests and no more testing, Katie’s GP decided that she was pregnant and that was the only explanation that describes her symptoms. Then, he asked her to go through a second ultrasound. At this point, even walking made Katie exhausted and she was having breathing difficulty.
The Truth At Last
The doctor who checked her promptly checked whether she was pregnant. Was she ultimately going to find the reason? It partly gave the answer, but in a way that Katie never expected.
Katie was so attentive when the doctor was going the ultrasound. When she the doctor’s face, she was pretty sure that something was wrong. She was shocked and she seemed kind of scared.
Consoling Katie
Katie was totally panicked when the doctor requested a consultant. Her boyfriend Jamie tried to calm her down, but there was no point. They did not realise what was going on. What was really in her stomach?
The ultrasound screen was blank and it was obvious that Katie was not pregnant. But, there should be something wrong as her stomach was still big. They understood that her life was in danger.
Surprising News
The doctors came up with several possibilities. They needed a CT to find out. Indeed, Katie was scared and constantly worrying about what was to come. She was thinking about many things.
Because of the empty ultrasound, Katie had to go through a CT scan. It showed startling news about Katie. Before telling Katie, the doctors prepared her for what was coming. Katie and her boyfriend were waiting to hear it with astonishment.
Definitely Not Pregnant
Katie was apparently not pregnant. The reason for her stomach getting big was because of a huge ovarian mass. Katie was so hopeless and the doctor was not 100% sure about what he was dealing with.
It was not a usual cyst and was 24 centimeters thick. It was attached to Katie’s stomach. This was the reason why she was gaining weight. Her life was in danger and she had to be treated immediately.
What Exactly Is An Ovarian Cyst?
Basically, a cyst is a fluid-filled sac that grows in a woman’s ovary. These cysts are highly usual and there’s no harm. Most of these cysts disappeared on their own, yet, Katie’s condition was way more critical.
These cysts can mess with a person’s life only when they rupture, block the blood supply to the ovaries, or as in Katie’s case, is extremely large. Katie’s one was extraordinarily large and it was not usual.
Exploring Her Options
After a month, Katie consulted a specialist who examined the options available for her. How the doctor was shocked when he saw it was still in her mind. He was shocked and at first even he had no idea what to do.
Even though he tried to be calm and explained to Katie that she had a large ovarian mass, his face said that something was not wrong. No one had ever seen a cyst of this size, even the specialist.
That’s Not All
Also, the doctor said that there was a possibility of having multiple cysts and that they might be attached to organs. Katie could not believe it, but, she realised that she was left out with no option other than having surgery.
Even though the doctors should come up with more explanations, they still had no idea about the effect that the cyst had on her body. They were pretty sure that Katie had side effects, but they were not related to her being pregnant.
You’re Fine
The doctor had no idea about the size of the cyst, but they were well aware of the fact that they had to do something. It was unbelievable for him that all of Katie’s other doctors said “you’re fine.”
The doctor was quite certain that Katie would lose one of her ovaries. Furthermore, depending on where the cyst was, she might have to spend a long time in the hospital. Katie felt like she would not survive this.
Support
Katie didn’t want to bother her family and made them worry about her. So she decided not to tell them as her mother was in Australia. Yet, when she got to know about what was going on, she told her family the condition.
It was obvious that it was too much for her to bear all that was happening. So she asked her mother and sister to be by her side. Katie had been fighting alone with this condition for enough time.
Ready To Go
Katie’s mother arrived in two days, yet unluckily, her father couldn’t come. He called Katie often to make sure that she was okay despite the time difference. Finally, she had all the support she needed and was finally ready for the big day.
According to the doctor, Katie would go through surgery in 4 weeks’ time. Four weeks went by and the day finally came. Katie was all set for surgery. Even within these 4 weeks, her stomach grew another five more inches.
Emergency Surgery
The high-risk obstetrics consultant that she channeled said that doing surgery is essential. And to do it, he was going to cut her open from her chest bone down to her pelvic bone, like an old C-section.
The surgery day finally came. Katie was asked to wear a surgery gown and a pair of socks. Then she was taken by a nurse. She was so anxious as she knew that a needle would be stabbed into her body.
Extra Help
Katie was uncomfortable and two nurses had to hold her. As they put the needle into her body, she did not stop moving. She seemed quite restless. Later she told that she literally felt like she was dying.
The doctors estimated that the surgery would merely take around an hour. Yet surprisingly, it took five. Her family calmly waited till the end and they were worried about Kaie’s life. Nonetheless, the doctors were able to remove the cyst.
Back To Normal
Indeed the cyst was huge, yet the weight of it shocked everyone. Ultimately, this enormous thing was removed from Katie’s body. She was eagerly waiting to get back to her ordinary life again.
She was scared a little bit, but she had a belief that surgery would finally give her life back. She was still suspicious of whether she would get cysts back or would she have any harmful side effects.
How Big?
The cyst weighed 60 pounds! If are trying to figure out how much 60 pounds is, then it is equal to the weight of seven babies. After Katie woke from surgery, the hospital staff showed her the picture of the cyst.
Katie was bewildered and confused when she woke up from surgery. “I remember still being groggy from the anesthetic as they wheeled me back to the ward and the excited hospital staff was showing photos in front of me,” said Katie.
After Surgery
The cyst weighed one-third of Katie’s body weight. She understood how much the cyst had influenced her life. She was not able to even simple things. It was really a disturbance in her life.
Once she got rid of this huge weight, she realized that it made her life easier. Before, she even got tired of driving the car or walking upstairs. Removing the cyst made a clear difference in her life.
Nickname
It was surprising how she was able to carry so much weight around. After seeing the photos of the cyst she said that “It looked like a massive pile of ice cream so I called it Mr. Whippy!”
The doctors were also shocked by the size of Katie’s cyst. They believed that she was a true medical phenomenon. They even could not believe that this cyst was there inside her body for all this time.
Back Home
Katie was discharged after four days and she had the support of her mother and her boyfriend. Even though she was so scared to go through the process, she now understood that it was worthy.
Soon after surgery, Katie was able to walk. She was waiting to begin her new life. She has a 40-centimeter scar from her sternum to her pelvis. The only negative side effect was that she lost her right ovary. Yet, she was told by the doctors that there was no effect on her having babies.
Body Changes
Along with the scar, Katie’s tummy is covered in stretch marks. These are like reminders that would daily give her those bitter memories. Nonetheless, she prefers the stretch marks to a huge cyst inside her body.
Katie’s family visited her after the surgery and they were blown by her new appearance. She had become so thin. In fact, she was like half of the woman she was before the surgery.
Smooth Sailing
Katie was recovering slowly. She says, “it was smooth sailing with some hiccups along the way.” She says that she feels much better when compared to last year, both physically and mentally.
She was so grateful for her family, friends, and colleagues for being with her during a hard time. She says that she would not make it without all the support she got and that she was lucky to have them in her life.
Inspirational
Katie did not want to share her story a year ago. Nonetheless, as she gets more comfortable with her body, she started to share her story. She thinks that it is an inspiration to all of us.
Although Katie had to go through a harsh phase in her life and the reminder she gets from the scar and all her stretch marks, she still managed to go back to her normal life. She is assured that she will be able to have children and thus she is so grateful to her doctor.
Alexandra & Antonin
Alexandra Kinova and her husband Antonin Kroscen were dreaming to create a family, yet they had no idea what was to happen. When she was pregnant, after a while they discovered that they were going to have twins, but doctors revealed something really shocking.
Alexandra and Antoin were a couple from the Czech republic. They were so delighted when they heard that they were going to be parents. This is a usual phenomenon for every couple, yet they were not prepared for what happened next.
Ready For Parenthood
Even though Alexandra was still 23, she was quite sure about her future. She was already a mother and she knew that she would have more kids. But she had no idea that she would be that surprised in the future.
She thought the being pregnant for the second time would be easy as she had done it once before. Yet, after meeting the doctor, she realized that it would not be that easy. What did the doctor tell her?
More Than She Thought
When she was preparing herself to have one baby, she was told that she was going to have twins. Having twins is a usual thing but little did they know that this birth was going to be exceptional and no one knew about it.
We can take a wild guess about what you are thinking. Was she going to give birth to an alien?! The reality could be anything. For Alexandra, ultrasound would help a bit to understand what was going on.
A Follow-Up
The ultrasound was quite normal that Alexandra saw that she was pregnant. The doctors satisfied with her results and didn’t see anything wrong with it. And they never expect that something would be wrong.
She visited the doctor again and learned many new different things. In more weeks, they could track the heartbeat. Yet the problem, it was not just one. This was expected by no one, even the doctors.
Double The Fun
After this ultrasound, Alexandra found out that she was pregnant with twins. The couple was astonished by this news. They already had one child and now they were going to be parents of three children!
They were so enthusiastic and were so busy preparing for their twins. They bought baby clothes and furniture to ensure that their babies are comfortable. They thought that everything was okay and they had no idea what was about to come.
Unaware Of The Truth
Alexandra’s testings were all good and thus she didn’t expect that she would have to encounter something unusual. She got used to the fact that she was going to have twins, so she was just getting ready for it.
Not long, Alexandra started to feel like something was not wrong. She was waiting until the next appointment so that she could tell the doctor how was she feeling. Until then, she hoped that she would be okay.
Finally The Truth
Finally, the appointment came. The doctors seemed a bit confused when they looked at her records. Alexandra was pretty sure that something was not wrong. The doctors decided to do another ultrasound to find out the root cause.
Her partner was there with every time and he never missed any of doctor’s appointments. He might never have prepared for what was about to find through the ultrasound. He never thought that his new responsibilities would make such a difference in his life.
Staying Positive
Alexandra’s doctor and her husband were so concerned about, yet on the flip side, she managed to stay calm and concentrated. She had been following a healthy lifestyle ever since she got to know that she was pregnant. She never missed her medicines and vitamins. When she was quite sure that her babies were healthy, her doctor made her think the opposite.
Alexandra was in the hospital as she had an appointment and she was listening to all the details that were told by the doctor about pregnancy. She didn’t understand what was going on.
Concerned For Her Newborns
She overheard what the doctors were saying and she was literally panicked. Yet she tried to stay positive and met the doctor to find out what was wrong. After all the checkups she understood why the doctor was so concerned about her.
Ultrasound is quite normal for a pregnant mother. The reason why the doctors were so worried about her because her stomach grew so much in a short period of time. Consequently, the doctors told the couple what was going on.
Expecting The Worst
The doctors said that Alexandra was not carrying twins. Thus, she thought that one of her babies had died in the womb. It is a usual thing that one twin eats the other, yet it was not the case with her.
Now she knew that she was not pregnant with twins, then what was she expecting? She thought that she was not actually pregnant and that she might have a cyst that was growing inside her.
Fearing For Her Future
Alexander didn’t understand what was going on and she was more careful about her health. She was following the doctor’s instructions and was taking healthy meals. She didn’t want to think that she lost her babies.
At a glance, the doctors could tell that Alexandra was different from the other mothers who were expecting twins. Her stomach was becoming bigger and it was not even usual for a woman expecting triplets.
Just More Questions
It was difficult to determine what was going on only from the ultrasound. Obviously she was not going to have twins and they still didn’t know how many children she was going to have.
When doctors said that she was not going to have twins, she was so upset. It was the worst news she ever heard in her life. Nonetheless, the truth was the opposite of it and it was more exciting.
No Official Number
The doctors said that she was not having either one baby or triplets. This was complicated for her as she had never gone through any fertility treatment to have multiple births. She was restless not knowing what was going on.
Then the doctor broke the news. Alexandra was going to have quadruplets! She was flabbergasted by this news and so was her partner. So she was going to be a mother of five kids! Now the surprise is over. At least they thought so.
More To Come
The couple had to shop for another two babies when they came back from the hospital. They bought everything that was needed for four babies. Shockingly, during her next ultrasound, something completely different was revealed.
They were just getting used to the idea that they were going to have four babies. Yet, when it seemed like the ultrasound revealed something else, they froze. They were going to have five babies!
One Was Hiding
The doctors couldn’t see the fifth baby first as they were all moving around the womb and it was hard for them to get a clear picture. Interestingly, they spotted something else in the scan as well! Were they going to have six babies?
Even though they were not prepared for five babies, Alexandra wanted to know the genders of the babies. She needed to get ready with the outfits with the respective colours. Yet the doctors were not in a position to figure out the genders yet.
The Big Day
Finally, the day arrived to give birth. When Alexandra went into labour, 40 people were getting ready for the birth of quintuplets. It was obvious that certain things might go wrong as there were too many babies and Alexandra’s life was in danger as well.
The hospital and the doctors didn’t have prior experience in quintuplet births, so they wanted to get the help they could get. They even hired a cameraman to film this exceptional birth.
All Hands On Deck
When the babies came out, two nurses were appointed to look after one baby. They had to check the babies thoroughly to ensure that everything was okay with them. Almost all the nurses in the hospital were assigned to this birth.
Because of the risky situation, Alexandra had a C-section without a natural birth. She was told that C-section would be the best and safest method to get babies out and there would not be any problems.
The Little One
The doctors gave necessary attention to all babies, but one among them needed extra attention. Alexandra had to stay in the hospital with her babies for a few days and she was discharged to start her new life with her new babies.
Giving birth was all okay and now the family consisted of eight members. Indeed, they were a happy family. You might be thinking about how many girls and boys were there in quintuplets.
Mommies Move-In
Alexandra’s house became full with 5 babies along with Alexandra’s mother and her husband’s mother. They came to help with the babies. Also, they asked government assistance and the babies soon became trending news around the world.
Alexandra and Antoin were so happy. There were four boys and one girl. They named boys, Daniel, Alex, and Martin. The girl was named Terezka. It seemed like she even broke a record.
Special Babies
An obstetrician named Alena Makarova who was there during the birth did some research about the birth and she discovered that it was part of history. Indeed, giving birth to 5 babies was extraordinary, yet it was confusing what made them so special.
When the obstetrician was interviewed by the Telegraph, she described that it was the first time that had ever been mention of quintuplets. She had all the records from 1949 to prove it. Basically, Alexandra was the first mother to give birth to quintuplets in the whole vicinity.
Quadruplets Are Just As Rare
It has been discovered that quintuplets are born only once 480 years in the Czech Republic. Above all, the possibility of giving birth to quadruplets is one in seven million. With this birth, they decided to research all these statistics around the world.
Giving birth to quintuplets is extremely rare and normally it happens due to fertility treatment like In Virto Fertilization. Nonetheless, Alexandra naturally conceived these babies.
Family Connection
Both Alexandra and Antoin described that twins are common in their families. As it runs in families, there’s no wonder that they gave birth to quintuplets. Having five babies at once should be an exciting experience, yet, they will be exhausted by the end of the day.
As their family is quite large, they received many donations and helping hands. Apart from financial support, they also had their family and friends who were eager to help them whenever they need.
Access Denied
The government never encountered a situation like this before. So they refused to give extra government assistance. The Czech Social Affairs Ministry announced a statement saying “Simply put, our system is not prepared for such multiple instances of ‘good luck.’”
Even though this family had to undergo many problems they are very happy to have and raise their five children. They are so excited when it comes to their birthdays. Each time, they celebrated the birthday with their family members.
Too Much For Her
Indeed, it was so difficult to take care of five babies. Yet Alexandra and her husband say, “you achieve anything as long as you put your mind to it.” These babies have a possibility of 95% of growing up healthy.
With time, Alexandra realised that her family is full of happiness and laughter because of her quintuplets. She loves her children so much and indeed, she has no plans to have more children!