Kiwi woman, 23, didn't know she was pregnant until she went into labour

Stories in which women who didn't know they were pregnant until they were giving birth are all over the internet. There's even a TV show dedicated to the phenomenon.

However, many people can't seem to wrap their head around the fact that someone could be unaware of the life inside them.

Kiwi woman Jay found out she was pregnant just eight hours before giving birth to her daughter, and shared her experience with ZM radio hosts Fletch, Vaughan and Hayley Sproull.

At the age of 23, Jay had just started a new job and was at her lowest ever weight as an adult.

"One night I just started getting pains, I honestly thought it was my kidneys so I just chilled, just went with it, didn't sleep all night ... In the morning went to the doctors and got told I was in labour," she told the radio hosts.

Jay explained that over the nine months, she had no signs indicating she could be pregnant, not even a little bump. But the mum said her daughter was born perfectly healthy. Jay's daughter weighed seven pounds and seven ounces at birth.

"They think she was overterm, they think she was all in my back ... They say it's more common than people think."

Despite her life completely changing within hours, Jay said she felt very supported.

"It was a bit all over the show but my mum helped me stay pretty level headed, and I have really good family and friends around me."

Jay now has two children, and she was well aware she was pregnant with her son.

"I've got an eight-month-old boy now as well and when I think about it, I think, how the hell did I not know. [I had] morning sickness, big puku, everything."

Jay also told us that she hasn't had much of a chance to tell her story, and often gets shut down.

"They just struggle to believe it."

Jay's daughter is now three years old, and apparently "everyone can't wait to tell her the story".

This story originally appeared on ZM Online and was republished with permission.