Sartaj Singh
‘I Wasn’t Expecting a Baby’ is an unscripted show by Lifetime that reveals the shocking true incidents of cryptic pregnancies that leave women unaware of their pregnancy until the baby is born. Some of these women thought they had very severe cramps, stomach aches, or that their appendix was about to burst, but were stunned when a fully grown baby was birthed from them. Cryptic pregnancies are a relatively common phenomenon, and it is estimated that 1 in 2500 women are unaware of their pregnancies right up until childbirth.
The series interviews some of these surprise moms, giving further insight into their experiences leading up to the biggest shock of their lives. Family members are featured in each episode as well, providing further context surrounding the unexpected deliveries. With such an intriguing subject under discussion, some may seek to further investigate where the show is filmed and the people who feature in it.
I Wasn’t Expecting a Baby Shooting Locations
‘I Wasn’t Expecting a Baby’ is filmed in various locations throughout the United States, with the film crew generally visiting the locales and homes where their interviewees reside. Principal photography for the first season of the show was carried out at various points in 2023. Allow us to take you through some of the locations that can be identified in the series.
New Jersey
The first episode of the series introduces us to Kayla Simpson in New Jersey. Kayla was a nursing student at Indiana University, Bloomington, and took the internet by storm in 2023 when she uploaded videos on TikTok discussing her surprise pregnancy. She claims to have had no baby bump during her pregnancy and even said she had regular periods, something that is deemed impossible by doctors. Hearing her story, other women shared similar experiences, and social media trended with hashtags relating to cryptic pregnancies. We meet Kayla and her family in their New Jersey home, and they express their amazement at the miraculous incident.
New York City, New York
The second story of the first episode was filmed in the Bronx borough of New York City. The region is home to Tiffany Lashaun, a medical assistant who recounts her experience of suddenly feeling paralyzed and being rushed to the hospital to discover that she was in a full-term pregnancy. Just the day before, Tiffany had been planning to shift apartments but had to indefinitely delay her plans because of the unplanned infant now under her care.
Miami, Florida
The film crew ventured to Miami Gardens in southern Florida to meet with Brooke Ruttenberg, a mother of two who delivered her latest baby in the bathroom with the help of her boyfriend. He was on the phone with emergency services when they realized that Brooke was giving birth and wrapped the newborn in towels before the paramedics arrived. Finding the newborn to be perfectly healthy, the couple named him Milagros, which is Spanish for miracles. Miami seems to be a recurring destination for Lifetime’s unscripted reality shows, as their filming crew had also set up an interview here for ‘Prison Brides.’
I Wasn’t Expecting a Baby Cast
The Lifetime show interviews multiple women from various backgrounds and walks of life who have undergone cryptic pregnancies. Featuring on the show from the very first episode, Kayla Simpson is the most prominent interviewee of the series. Not only does her story draw attention, given her status as a medical student, but her videos on social media have garnered worldwide attention and inspired many other women with similar experiences to share their stories. Also featured in the first episode is Tiffany Lashaun, a single medical assistant who thought that she had a stomach ache, which turned out to be a full-term pregnancy.
The second episode introduces us to Ellise, a woman who was told she was infertile but ended up inadvertently giving birth in her parent’s bathroom. Subsequently, we hear the story of Brooke Ruttenberg, who is already a mother and unknowingly delivered her second child in the bathroom. Following their unplanned birth, Brooke and her boyfriend, Roberto Domenech, created a GoFundMe page asking for donations to support their financially strained family.
Read More: A Mother’s Intuition: Where Was the Lifetime Movie Filmed? Who is in the Cast?
