A man from Montreal believed for months that he was going to be a father of not just one or two but five babies.
The devastated ‘father-to-be’ has shared the moment he found out his girlfriend’s entire pregnancy process was a lie.
Paul Servat was ecstatic when his girlfriend, Barbara Bienvenue, shared the wonderful news with him that she was expecting. He devoted most of his time and energy preparing to be a father.
The lovebirds met online during the summer months. By September, just two months after they started dating, Servat learned that he would soon be a dad.
Then, Bienvenue told him that she was pregnant with twins. Two babies turned into triplets.
The stunning updates continued, and Bienvenue informed him she was pregnant with quadruplets. Finally, she told Servat that she was expecting quintuplets.
Servat remained excited and positive about being with his girl and five children. He already picked out names for their babies, and his parents were having the same level of excitement. They couldn’t wait to meet their five grandchildren.
The community and some local businesses were also delighted to hear about the fantastic news. They even donated clothes, toys, and other baby items to help out the starting family.
There were five empty cribs waiting in Servat’s home. However, they would remain empty even after his girlfriend’s due date.
Servat couldn’t believe that he would never be able to hold any of his babies, not because they weren’t able to survive. The quintuplets, no matter how much he wanted them to be healthy and normal, never existed.
When Servat took Bienvenue to the hospital, a nurse pulled him aside and shared with him devastating results of her girlfriend’s blood test. According to the nurse, Bienvenue was not pregnant.
His girlfriend didn’t need to stay in the hospital for long hours of labor and delivery. She needed to be checked under psychiatric observation for having a phantom pregnancy.
“I lost everything, it was my whole life,” Servat expressed. Bienvenue shared about what she would do with all the items donated to them.
“I’ll return all these things to people who sent them or give them (away). I’m a good person, and I have nothing to do with these lies,” she said.
Barbara Bienvenue suffered from pseudocyesis, also known as phantom pregnancy, false pregnancy, or hysterical pregnancy. She believed she was pregnant and her body started to experience symptoms of pregnancy, such as abdominal swelling, morning sickness, weight gain, and lactation. The only difference between pseudocyesis and pregnancy is the presence of a fetus.
We hope that Servat will one day experience the true happiness of being a father.
What are your thoughts on this story? Do you think that pseudocyesis or phantom pregnancy is a cruel mental disorder? Let us know in the comments section below! We’d like to hear from you!