Watch: Find Out Why Tika Sumpter Kept Her Pregnancy Secret for 7 Whole Months

Tika Sumpter is in her third trimester and nobody even knew she was pregnant!

The actress herself was completely surprised by the happy news. The 36-year-old began wondering if she was pregnant when she had some unusual for her food cravings,

“I found out around Valentine’s Day, when my boyfriend took me on a surprise trip to San Diego,” she said. “I never want McDonald’s, but I was like, ‘I need a Big Mac, fries and a Coke now. Afterward, I immediately fell asleep. When I woke up, my boyfriend was like, ‘Haha! Are you pregnant?’ I said, ‘Maybe. Go get a test!’”

“He brought back a generic-brand test, and right away it said positive,” she added. “I could not comprehend it. So I said, ‘Go get a name-brand test!’ He did, and that one said yes too. I still have the stick. I had to show it to my mom, because she didn’t even believe me when I told her.”

Her decision was spurred on by truly wanting to savor every moment of this incredible experience and be able to do it privately,

“She’s my first child, and I wanted to experience every moment of this pregnancy for myself and enjoy it without everybody else being in it with me,” she said her growing baby girl. “Until recently, you couldn’t tell if I was pregnant or had a little beer belly!”

“I didn’t want to hear, ‘Who’s the dad?’” Sumpter added. “Social media can be harsh, and I’m a mama bear, protective of my family. So that’s why I waited to tell people, including some of my friends. My friends weren’t mad at me. They said, ‘You did it the way you wanted to do it. You’re an inspiration.’”

Although, some of her closest people figured it out,

“When I was five months, Tyler Perry texted me, ‘Are you pregnant?’” Sumpter explained. “Inside, I was thinking, ‘Oh my god, how did he know?’ I wrote back, ‘What are you talking about? You’re crazy!’ But when I saw him that afternoon, I told him.”

“He just said, ‘I knew it! Tika, this is going to be the best time of your life,’” she said. “I feel lucky that he’s been so supportive.”