I didn't know I was pregnant

Kate Hudson, 22, was in Europe on the trip of a lifetime. 

She was mid-way through a journalism degree, and had worked hard as a retail assistant for two years to save enough money to head off on a grand adventure with girlfriends.

Kate was enjoying the high life of a tourist- exercising, jumping off cliffs, riding bikes, drinking alcohol and eating anything she wanted. She travelled through London, Paris, Croatia, Prague and Barcelona.

Seven weeks into her trip, she started noticing that her body was acting differently. She took a pregnancy test, and she was shocked to discover it was positive.

Kate Hudson, 22, had no idea she was 36 weeks pregnant when this photo was taken on her holiday in Europe

'I had absolutely no real clear symptoms. I was still getting regular periods. I wasn’t nauseous, no morning sickness, little weight gain, so it seemed silly to think I would be pregnant,' Kate said 

Travelling alone and in Barcelona, Kate immediately called her boyfriend of 18 months, Aaron, in a fluster. 

'I immediately rang and told Aaron, and although he was shocked, he was supportive and said that we could work around it, and if not, that we'd have months to prepare for having a baby,' Kate told Daily Mail Australia.

He calmed her down and told her to head to a doctor to double check. 

While she was reasonably anxious, Kate comforted herself with the thought that if by some small chance she was pregnant, she couldn't be more than a month or two along.

'I had absolutely no real clear symptoms. I was still getting regular periods. I wasn’t nauseous, no morning sickness, little weight gain, so it seemed silly to think I would be pregnant,' Kate told The Young Mummy. 

The doctor had some different news to share with her. Not only was Kate definitely pregnant, but she was 33 weeks pregnant and well into her third trimester. 

'I totally freaked out. I thought she said 13 weeks – not 33!' Kate said.

'I rang mum and she was so shocked. We could get over the fact that I was pregnant, but the fact I was told that I was 33 weeks was so hard to comprehend.'

'No way was I ready to have a baby. I’m only 22. No job, and no money. And no time to prepare.' 

'It was so hard being away from Aaron and we really struggled being away from each other.' 

By this time, she was in Prague. Dealing with doctors in a foreign country all alone, she knew she had to get home. 

This was easier said than done, as airlines require a certificate of permission for women travelling when they are in their third trimester. The obstetrician she visited in Prague said that she would have to give birth to the baby in Europe.

However Kate, a size 6 even at 33 weeks and showing no sign of a baby bump, decided to risk it and fly home the very next day.

'The baby was coming and coming fast, so I just had to prepare and get back home,' Kate said.

'When I called my mum, she said that's it, we're getting you home.'

It was on that flight home that Kate felt the baby kick inside her for the first time, and realised that the situation she was in was very real.

When Kate arrived back in Australia, her mum took her for a further examination to find out details she wasn't given overseas.

It was at this appointment that Kate was given even more shocking news. She wasn't 33 weeks pregnant, but 38 weeks, almost full term.

'I was scared because I didn’t know if the baby was healthy,' Kate said. 

'I was also scared about the future. Being a mum is daunting. I had no money since I had just came back from overseas. Where will we live, how will we pay for stuff? I didn’t know all too much about babies.'

Kate was told by the doctor that she had a tilted-back uterus, which explained why she didn't look like she was pregnant. 

She was still shocked that she had experienced no symptoms, and couldn't understand how it had happened to her.

'Any belly I had I thought was just a food baby from all the eating I’d done in Europe over two months.'

'I had thought about kids, and Aaron and I had spoken about it, but we we’re thinking it would be in a few years time… another 3-5 years time.'

There was still one more surprise in store for Kate. When she had further testing the doctors gave her the news that she wasn't 38 weeks pregnant- Kate's baby was actually overdue and had to be induced immediately.

Little Mason arrived after a relatively straightforward birth, weighing 6.5 pounds, which Kate said was easier than she had been expecting.

'He slipped out in the end,' she laughed. 

'When he came out it was surreal, and that skin on skin contact is exactly like everyone says. It's then that you realise that you've made this beautiful human being.'