When Jasmin Miller, 24, noticed her tummy was a bit bigger than usual, she blamed a sandwich.
She assumed she was just bloated after having a tomato sandwich while attending a Billie Eilish gig, and snapped photos of her stomach to send to her mum.
It was her mother who said she should take a pregnancy test – half as a joke.
But Jasmin was stunned when, after picking up two pregnancy tests from a pharmacy, they came back positive – as did a third and a fourth.
Jasmin, from San Diego, California, said: ‘I was freaking out, had no clue what to do.’
It turned out that Jasmin was five months pregnant.
She’d had no clue, as she had remained a size eight for the first five months of her pregnancy, and didn’t have a period because she took her birth control pills back-to-back.
The social media manager had started to pee more frequently, but assumed this was down to a UTI.
And when she had severe cramping, this was dismissed as a stomach illness.
‘I broke down immediately on seeing the tests and started bawling my eyes out,’ said Jasmin.
‘It didn’t become a full reality until I arrived at the hospital and they quite literally said to me “you won’t be leaving the hospital with the baby inside of you”.’
Four days after taking the home tests, Jasmin visited the doctor and had an ultrasound, which confirmed she was 19 weeks and five days along.
She tried to tell the father – her ex-boyfriend who she had split from just two weeks before – the news, but she claimed he accused her of lying about taking birth control.
The next 12 weeks were a whirlwind of preparations for her new arrival.
On October 23, 2019, Jasmin went into labour at 32 weeks pregnant – just three days after her baby shower, and still a size 10.
Leighton Skye Miller was born weighing 3lb 14.6oz and was rushed to NICU as she wasn’t breathing, and remained there for two months until she was 6lbs.
Jasmin said: ‘After spending two months in the NICU and being with the nurses 12 hours of the day every day, I learned so much that I felt more ready when I left.
‘They were able to teach me how to do diapers and bottles, what to do with choking, fainting, etc.
‘Before having her, I felt ready and adjusted, but after having her, I felt so confused!
‘It took forever for saying “my daughter” to feel semi-normal.’
Jasmin now shares her story on TikTok under the name @jasminandleighton, to help provide support to other young mums.
She said: ‘It’s crazy to imagine my life without [my daughter], and where I would be had she not come along.
‘She makes me strive to be a better person every day.
‘I think it’s important to share your story with others when it can help other people going through a similar situation.
‘I think sharing is such a powerful tool, and to see that life isn’t perfect but its about what you make of it.’
Do you have a story to share?
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