My baby bump was so huge people thought I was having quadruplets - but my daughter weighed just 6lbs

A 22-year-old mother’s baby bump grew to be so enormous that passers-by assumed it was ‘fake’ and some strangers even joked that she was carrying a ‘penthouse’ rather than a baby. Lauren Draper, from Cardiff, was delighted when she found out she was pregnant with her fourth child in June last year but had no idea what an intense ordeal she was about to go through. The mother-of-four went for a scan at 24 weeks due to concerns over her unborn baby's reduced movements and was told that excess amniotic fluid, a liquid which surrounds the foetus and aids its growth, had built up in her uterus. Lauren was already being monitored closely due to suffering a miscarriage in 2022 but after diagnosing her with polyhydramnios, doctors were even more hands on. The mother, who is a support worker, had experienced polyhydramnios when pregnant with her first child who is now seven, but in that instance the condition was diagnosed further along in her pregnancy at 38 weeks. This time around doctors identified the problem earlier at 24 weeks and the fluid continued to build in Lauren’s uterus due to her baby not swallowing it. At 29 weeks she started to notice just how huge her bump was becoming and began to struggle with everyday activities such as walking or rolling over in bed. Shortly after Lauren was admitted to hospital at 31 weeks pregnant over fears that she was at risk of cord prolapse.

Lauren Draper grew a ginormous baby bump during her fourth pregnancy due to polyhydramnios

Polyhydramnios is a condition where excess amniotic acid collects in the uterus causing a woman's bump to grow larger than expected

In Lauren's case the fluid built up to an excessive amount due to her baby not swallowing it By the time the mother was 34 weeks pregnant her bump was so large that strangers started to comment on it. Lauren said many thought she was carrying quadruplets and one person even jokingly asked: 'What's in there - a penthouse?' Lauren had baby Olyve, now three months old, on January 6, weighing just 6lbs 1oz - an average weight for a newborn despite the enormous baby bump her mother had carried. Talking about other people’s reaction to her large bump, Lauren said: ‘People said “OMG, what's in there? A penthouse? A three bedroom apartment?” I was a fair size. ‘People saw the bump before they saw me. In the lift someone said “How many are you having?” I said “just one” and she asked “can I touch it?”’ Lauren’s stomach grew so big that several people couldn’t believe it was real, she said: ‘People also thought it was fake and said, “It's AI.”’ The fluid build-up not only made moving around more strenuous for Lauren but also caused bruising on her ribs. She said: ‘I came out in all these bruises - it was so tender.’

The mother's huge bump caught the attention of strangers with one person wondering if she was expecting quadruplets

The mother previously suffered with polyhydramnios during her first pregnancy seven years ago

Lauren gave birth to a baby girl, Olyve in January this year

Lauren's complicated pregnancy meant she was admitted into hospital three weeks before going into labour

After going into labor Lauren started to lose an extreme amount of blood and was rushed to have an emergency C-section

Baby Olyve is currently still in hospital as she is suffering with respiratory issues

Lauren’s condition meant she spent three weeks in the hospital prior to going into labour at 34 weeks and four days. Talking about her birth, Lauren said: ‘When my waters went a nurse said, “look how much your belly has gone down.” I was like a pancake! It took 10 days to go down.’ However, shortly after going into labour Lauren started gushing blood leading doctors to realise that she was having a placenta abruption and she was immediately rushed to have an emergency C-section. It wasn’t until seven hours later, and after losing five litres of blood herself, that the mother was able to meet her new baby girl. Lauren said: ‘They said when she was born she wasn't breathing. She was blue. It was horrific to hear. Seeing her in an incubator - it was horrific.’ Olyve is still fighting in hospital due to struggling with respiratory failure but Lauren is confident that she will pull through.

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What is polyhydramnios? Polyhydramnios, which literally means 'too much fluid', is a rare pregnancy condition. It occurs when there is an excessive build-up of amniotic fluid, which plays a significant role in the development of the foetus, in the womb. Symptoms of polyhydramnios include: Indigestion and heartburn, constipation, breathlessness, swollen feet and legs and UTIs. According to the NHS, polyhydramnios can come on quite quickly and is more common if a mother is carrying more than one baby at once. Polyhydramnios is often diagnosed by a sonographer during an ultrasound scan. Alternatively, it can be spotted by midwives who consider an expectant mother's baby bump to be larger than it should be for that stage in pregnancy. The extra fluid can make it difficult to hear the baby's heartbeat during ultrasound scans. It can be brought on by gestational diabetes, infection, a problem with the baby swallowing, or the baby having a genetic condition. Typically, it's not a condition that needs extra treatment but in severe cases, a needle is used to drain some of the fluid before birth. In complicated cases, it can cause waters to break early, umbilical cord prolapse, a premature birth or a low birth weight. Source: NHS