‘I had £9k tummy tuck not knowing I was pregnant - I thought my nausea was related to the procedure’

A mum underwent a £9,500 tummy tuck - not knowing she was pregnant - after tests came back negative.

Gemma Williams, 42, had saved up for an abdominoplasty - known as a tummy tuck - after years of feeling insecure about the "saggy pouches" on her stomach, following the birth of her three children, ages 14, 17 and 20.

She opted for a procedure in the UK for "peace of mind" and sought a reputable private hospital in Swansea, Wales.

Gemma undergoes tummy tuck procedure

On August 15 2024, Gemma arrived at the clinic surgery, where medics took a urine sample to check her health which "didn't detect anything" concerning, she claims. After undergoing the four-hour operation, Gemma returned home the following day and continued her recovery. Over the next few months she experienced "bloating" and "nausea" - which Gemma put down to "side effects" of the procedure.

Gemma finds out she is pregnant

In December 2024, whilst on her first shift as a newly qualified nurse at Singleton Hospital, Swansea, a colleague noticed her discomfort and suggested Gemma might be "pregnant". This comment prompted Gemma to take a pregnancy test, and she was "beyond shocked" when it came back positive. An ultrasound two days later, at the same hospital, confirmed she was 21 weeks along.

Gemma believes the urine test before surgery didn't detect the pregnancy because of a false negative, due to low human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) levels - a hormone produced during pregnancy that can be measured in blood and urine to confirm and monitor pregnancy. After a "normal" pregnancy, her son, whom Gemma doesn't wish to name, was born on May 2 2025, weighing 7lbs 10oz.

Gemma, a nurse, from Swansea, Wales, who is no longer with the child's father, said: "I hadn't been on contraception for three years.

“I thought the extended bloating and nausea were down to the procedure - so did the clinic.

"When my friend suggested that I do a urine test, I thought at least I could rule it out.

“It's very likely the urine sample I took before my tummy tuck didn't pick up on the pregnancy because my HCG levels were too low. At the beginning of pregnancy, they typically rise.

"I had conversations about my options, but I knew in my heart that I wanted another baby.

"The thought that I was pregnant when I was under anaesthetic made my heart drop. Thankfully, my baby is happy and healthy.

"It's definitely a story for the book - I don't think I'll ever be as shocked again in my life."

According to the NHS, there is an increased risk of miscarriage in patients who have had anaesthetic and surgery during pregnancy.

Gemma, who was once a size 16, and is now a size 12, said: "Looking back, I can't believe it. It's been turbulent. I never expected to have another child, let alone not know for 21 weeks. But I'm grateful - my baby boy is adorable. He had a good set of lungs on him in the early days. He's getting his little personality and has started to laugh and smile. Little did I know that I wouldn't just be dropping a few dress sizes but gaining another little one to my brood."