Kinberly Novaes, a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, discovered that she was three months pregnant when she won a title belt on May 17, 2015, and she only found about her condition three months after the fight.
Novaes is set to have her RFA debut this August against Jocelyn Jones Lybarger, so she prepared for it well through training and losing weight. However, upon signing the deal on Aug. 21, she found it difficult to cut down her weight. She thought she had bowel issues and so she went to the doctor for a consultation. Jacson Carvalho, Novaes' boyfriend and fellow MMA fighter accompanied her to the hospital.
Upon medical interview, the doctor immediately asked Novaes if she was pregnant. She asserted not as she suspects an intestine condition; nonetheless, she was ordered to undergo a blood test. A morphology ultrasound imaging test was also performed. After an hour, the doctor confirmed that she is indeed expecting. She recalled herself crying and running out of the hospital, but later realized that her pregnancy is good news. "I thought I was sick, but I had a baby instead," said Novaes.
As per the ultrasound report, she is 24 weeks or almost six months pregnant. When she computed the months, she realized that she was already pregnant during her MMA fight in Brazil in May. She was worried because she trained and fought hard during that battle and even lost weight. But the doctors confirmed that the baby is well and healthy. She is expecting boy.
The big question is why was Novaes not tested and was even permitted to fight in May?
"I didn't ask for the exam. That's the truth," admits Bruno Barros, a promoter of Noxii, which is the Brazilian promotion agency handling Novaes. According to him, he did not think about the potential circumstance of pregnancy in a woman all gearing up for a fight - going through the challenges at camp, possibly encountering dehydration events and all the other necessary preparations for an MMA fight. Noxii has not received a regulation seal from the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA).
Meanwhile, Novaes will not be seeing MMA action until next year. However, father-to-be Carvalho will continue to fight in matches.
Photo: Frank de Kleine | Flickr
