Have any of you encountered women who have false pregnancies?
I've been reading up on this of late because I suspect a nurse friend might be going through this. She's in her late 50s and told us all that she's pregnant. She appears pregnant. She believes in homebirth and reported to us that she is planning this and found a lay midwife. She has had several homebirths in the past and all her children are grown. She has not had a pregnancy test.
She announced the pregnancy last December, and she totally looks pregnant. We were all worried about her desire for a homebirth since she's older. Now, though, we're wondering if she's having one of these false pregnancies. She has a new husband who has never had children. She has strong spiritual beliefs and believes God is communicating with her and allowed her to become pregnant because of certain life choices she made. Her husband is also on this spiritual path. Now she keeps pushing back the due date, always saying "anytime", this has gone on since May or June.
I did research into what used to be called hysterical pregnancy. A woman's desire for a baby can be a contributing factor, but it can happen to animals as well.
