How can you NOT KNOW you are pregnant?

There's a huge difference between hiding your pregnancy and not knowing you are actually pregnant. The latter is almost unbelievable to most of us, but apparently it happens

I think "concealed pregnancy" has a judgemental tone to it - almost Victorian.

A 15-year old that we know woke her mother in the middle of the night and asked to be taken to hospital as 'the baby is coming'. Her mother, a professional woman, was in shock as this was the first she knew about it. The daughter had realised she was pregnant but hid it well. It even went unnoticed during PE lessons at school.

Obstetrician on Today just now says "concealed pregnancies" (means ones where mother didn't know as well as ones they hid) run at about one in 2500 generally and 1 in 120 in some places. She said it was commoner among teenagers. One of my aunts thought it was 'the change' right up to the delivery!

And of course there is the powerful psychological defence - denial in which one dismisses all kinds of unpalatable things from the conscious mind.

It is certainly possibe to hide a pregnany from other people. When I was 14 I visited my elder sister, who had three children, one only just a year old. I noticed a new pram and asked her why she had got one when he was nearly ready for a pushchair. That was August Bank Holiday. She had another baby on 2nd September. She was very petite, about 5' 2" and slightly built.When we asked her why had kept her pregnancy secret, she said she was embarrassed at having another baby so soon. She was a very strange, secretive type anyway.

Ah yes is was more than a month early.

I remember a 17 year old i met who really did not look pregnant and she was not obese. Which can hide a pregnancy - but not likely in a soldier!
But:
If the mother has got rock hard abs. If she has a fairly large frame and if the baby is not very big. If she normally exercises hard and does not have regular periods. If she thought the movements were wind. If she didn't notice her boobs were bigger.
i suspect team means an army midwife as they won't have one out there. But it could also be that the baby is a month or more early - small - and I don't think people normally would put new mums and neonates in planes.

I think it does happen, quite genuinely, especially if the baby is very small. What I can't understand is why a 'team' is having to be flown out to Afghanistan to care for mother and baby on the way home.