I had a condition that caused an oversized baby bump people joked I was carrying a penthouse

A mom’s baby bump was so big strangers thought it was “fake” and joked she was carrying a “penthouse.”Lauren Draper, 22, was delighted when she fell pregnant with her fourth child in June last year.She went for a scan at 24 weeks due to her unborn baby’s reduced movements and was told she had an excess amount of amniotic fluid in her uterus.Lauren was then diagnosed with polyhydramnios — where you have too much fluid during pregnancy — and monitored closely.At 29 weeks Lauren started to realize how huge her bump was — due to the fluid build up — and started to struggle to walk and roll over in bed.She was admitted to the hospital at 31 weeks pregnant — due to a risk of cord prolapse.By 34 weeks pregnant her bump was so big strangers thought she was carrying quadruplets and even joked “what’s in there — a penthouse?”Lauren welcomed little Olyve, now three months, on Jan.6, 2025, at 3:29 a.m.

weighing 6lbs 1oz.Lauren, a support worker from Cardiff, Wales, 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?’“People also thought it was fake and said ‘it’s AI.’“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.”Lauren was already being monitored closely due to having a high risk pregnancy — after going through a miscarriage in 2022.She had experienced polyhydramnios with her first child, now seven, but it was only picked up at 38 weeks.This time round doctors noticed it was a problem at 24 weeks and the fluid was still increasing at 29 weeks.Doctors realized little Olyve wasn’t swallowing the fluid — causing the build up in Lauren’s uterus.In December 2024, Lauren had steroid shots to try and help mature Olyve’s lungs and she w...