NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Student feeling 'run down' learns she's 37 weeks pregnant

Daily Mail
9 Sep, 2018 09:06 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Laura now lives at home with her parents and her son, Finn, now three. Photo / Facebook

Laura now lives at home with her parents and her son, Finn, now three. Photo / Facebook

A student who went to the doctor feeling a "bit run down" was shocked to learn she was pregnant - and weeks away from giving birth.

Laura Molloy, now 25, from Dublin, said she didn't have any obvious symptoms of pregnancy - such as a bump, morning sickness, or missed periods - and had even done two tests which both came back as negative.

During a visit to her GP Laura was stunned to be told she was 37 weeks along, and didn't have terminal cancer as she had feared, according to the Daily Mail.

Less than a month later Laura's waters broke and she endured an 18-hour labour, giving birth to her son Finn, now three.

Speaking on RTE Radio 1 documentary The Announcement, Laura said: "My initial thought was [the doctor is looking for] a tumour, I've got terminal cancer. I actually am dying. Then she said, 'I think you're pregnant'."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Laura wasn't convinced at first because she'd just done a pregnancy test in front of her doctor that had come back negative.

But the GP explained to the baffled student that because she was past 28 weeks there was a chance the hormone that gives you a positive pregnancy test has already left your body giving a negative result.

Laura was sent from the surgery straight to the Coombe Hospital for a full check-up, recalling: "I did the maths that's more than seven months pregnant.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I've no bump, no morning sickness, no feeling of any movement. I thought "this has to be a mix-up". She is clearly not a very good doctor."

She had an ultrasound scan and the news finally sunk in when she heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time: 'I thought s*** I can't believe I am pregnant.

"I was in complete shock. I couldn't believe this was happening to me."

Laura, who had been with her partner Luke for two years by April 2015 is still with him now, it was after Christmas that she first started noticing she wasn't feeling well.

Discover more

World

Mother of decapitated baby in botched birth speaks out

08 Sep 12:36 AM
New Zealand

Triplets' bittersweet birthday at mother's graveside

09 Sep 02:16 AM
New Zealand

Cancer diagnosis strikes tragedy-hit family

09 Sep 02:50 AM
Lifestyle

Pregnant teacher's aid kicked by pupil loses baby

09 Sep 07:59 PM

She was feeling bloated with her hands and feet swelling and her energy was waning.

"I started not to feel right, in college instead of studying I started to Google my symptoms. I feel heavy, but I don't have the balls to stand on the scales so I ask Luke if I've put on weight."

Luke, who works in a bank, says in the radio documentary: "Maybe I thought you had put on a little bit of weight, but it just looked like Christmas turkey weight."

By March 2015 Laura thought she was pregnant: "But I was still having my period and not having any morning sickness."

Laura, who was studying film and broadcasting at Dublin Institute of Technology at the time, was told that her bump measured at 17 weeks but the baby's femur length was measuring 37 weeks.

Her parents were speechless when Laura broke the news to them and Luke was equally stunned.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I felt the myself collapsing and the world was spinning, and I asked how far along she was and much time we had, I couldn't get over the shock of it," Luke said.

Doctors later explained that the reason the bump was so small was because the foetus grew behind her placenta which was also why she could not feel the baby kicking inside her womb.

Laura was back at Coombe hospital when waters broke and her contractions began less than a month later.

She was in labour for 18 hours and gave birth to her son Finn.

"Three weeks earlier I was thinking about a holiday me and Luke were planning, now we're not having a holiday, but a baby.

"I'm going to meet this little person who's been hiding from me for all these months."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Three years later, the mother-of-one, who still lives with her parents, is planning on going back to college to study teaching.

Laura says she couldn't imagine life without him: "Five years ago I would never have imagined my life like this.

"But all I can say is I can't remember a world without Finn, and I certainly don't ever want to live in one without him."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Lifestyle

Why this simple pecan pie is perfect for special occasions

15 Jun 02:00 AM
Premium
Lifestyle

Advice: My best friend ghosted me, and I’m devastated. Help!

15 Jun 12:00 AM
Royals

How Prince Louis charmed the crowds at Trooping the Colour

14 Jun 09:38 PM

BV or thrush? Know the difference

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Why this simple pecan pie is perfect for special occasions

Why this simple pecan pie is perfect for special occasions

15 Jun 02:00 AM

This old-fashioned pie is a classic for a reason.

Premium
Advice: My best friend ghosted me, and I’m devastated. Help!

Advice: My best friend ghosted me, and I’m devastated. Help!

15 Jun 12:00 AM
How Prince Louis charmed the crowds at Trooping the Colour

How Prince Louis charmed the crowds at Trooping the Colour

14 Jun 09:38 PM
Premium
Auckland ICU doctor's book exposes NZ health system crisis from the inside

Auckland ICU doctor's book exposes NZ health system crisis from the inside

14 Jun 08:00 PM
It was just a stopover – 18 months later, they call it home
sponsored

It was just a stopover – 18 months later, they call it home

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP