'I gave birth in my bedroom aged 16 - and was too scared to tell anyone for four days'

Miranda Ponthieux, from Louisiana, USA, unexpectedly gave birth to a little girl when she was 16 years old. She had no symptoms and only experienced minor cramps

A woman stunned her family and friends after she secretly gave birth in her bedroom when she was just a teen.

Miranda Ponthieux, now 40, from Louisiana, USA, said she had no idea she was pregnant because she remained "super skinny" at the time. Her only symptoms were stomach pain, which her loved ones initially brushed off as period cramps.

She said: "I was not feeling well, my stomach still kept cramping, and I told my mom, and she was like, 'Oh, you're probably going to start your period'."

It wasn't until the pain worsened that she suspected that she could be pregnant. But by then it was only a matter of days before she was set to have a baby. She took a day off school because of sickness and ended up giving birth in her bedroom.

Miranda explained: "Not a single person in the world knew for four days. When I was 15, I was sneaking out all the time with this guy who I had been friends with since kindergarten. We lived right down the road from each other and obviously, we were doing things that led to me getting pregnant.

"I didn't get big, I was so skinny, super, super skinny. I stayed that way but there were signs to me that I was pregnant, but I didn't get big, so I was like, 'Well I can't be'. It was a little girl, and I kept checking on her. She was in a closed basket full of clothes, and I made sure she was okay - I wrapped her up in a blanket, but I didn't know what to do."

Unsure what to do, Miranda safely placed her newborn underneath a car shelter, before a family friend visited the house where she then pretended to be surprised that the baby had appeared there.

Miranda pulled it off as well as she stated that "nobody had any questions about it". However, the lies and the secrets eventually proved too much for Miranda to handle as the guilt forced her to write a note to her mum, which she left in her car.

To her surprise, she was met with love from her mum and the rest of her family as they all immediately wanted to care for her. During the four days, her daughter was left in state custody where she was looked after and fed while Miranda contemplated how to deliver the shocking news to her loved ones.

She added: "I had a baby in my room, and I did not know what to do. I was like freaking out big time. I had this baby in my room, and I had no idea what to do with it."

Over in Wales, a mum revealed this year how she unexpectedly gave birth with the help of her other children. Nicola Thomas, 36, from Cardiff, said was aware of some discomfort during the night but put it down to her period, which she continued to have throughout her surprise pregnancy.

When it reached 3am in the morning, the situation began to escalate. "I woke up at three o'clock and I just felt like I needed to go to the toilet," she said. Realising she wouldn't make it to the toilet Nicola decided she would just have to push where she was.

However, she soon felt a different sensation and realised she was about to give birth. She said: "Nicola then had no choice but to ask Blayke to wake her 14-year-old sister Ellis in order to help deliver the baby. Nicola said: "She delivered the baby, and checked the cord wasn't wrapped around her neck. I'm hoping she'll be a midwife now when she's older."I just put my hands down there and felt the baby's head."