To wonder how someone can not know that they are pregnant?

[Eemamc]

Worcester woman gave birth without knowing she was pregnant www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-43956316

I used to wonder about this, but having had a baby last year, I don’t know how you couldn’t know? Maybe if you gave birth at 20 Weeks or near that possibly, but after that?

This happened to my mum. She was 42 at the time and thought she was going through the menopause. She was very overweight anyway so didn't look much different. However, having already had 3 kids, I still think deep down she must have knew and was probably in denial.

When I've had bad gas (digestive system goes to pot when I'm stressed cos I comfort eat), I've had strong gas bubbles in guts that feel exactly like a baby kicking.

No kidding, the first time it happened after I'd had kids I freaked and sat there jabbing my stomach checking for bony little knees for ages.

So I guess someone prone to bad guts could look past kicking if they never poked back to find the baby?

strong gas bubbles in guts that feel exactly like a baby kicking.

the first time that happened to me I freaked out. I was only in my teens, and although I was very much aware of how babies were made, this hard gas bubble moving through my intestines felt EXACTLY how my mum's belly felt when she was pregnant and baby was moving.

I know 2 people this happened to.

One was tiny! Height and weight. I see her at new year and she gave birth a couple of months later, never had a clue. Went to the hospital with stomach pains and left with a baby.

Second was trying but kept getting negative tests. She went to work and did her whole shift with a 'stomach ache' got home and gave birth on the toilet! She was a bit bigger but certainly no noticeable bump. Her story was in a magazine.

Personally, the second I got pregnant, nothing fit and I felt green but everyone's different!

Step-father's the result of one of these. His mother went upstairs with stomach pains one evening... he appeared - he's a wazzock but totally healthy.

School friend didn't find out till nearly 6 months gone - carries weight around her middle anyway and just the way things were lying she didn't show at all.

I found out I was pregnant at 17 weeks. Admittedly not full term but I had no symptoms, the pill often stopped my periods anyway, no weight gain, anterior placenta, no symptoms. Was on the pill. Why would I think I was pregnant?
Other people have explained their reasons - no symptoms etc - why do people still think it’s ‘strange’ or ‘I don’t seem how you wouldn’t know’ despite being told how those people didn’t know? Just because you personally didn’t experience it?
Anyway, I was thrilled to find out at that stage - was probably less anxious and didn’t have those first few nervous weeks, and the pregnancy flew by!

What always strikes me about these stories is how frightening going in to labour must be. If you really don't know you are pregnant you must think you are about to die of some terrible unknown illness when labour starts!

I was 27 weeks when I found out. And I had been at a and e for stomach pains, the dr examined me, as in felt all over my belly, declared it Ibs gave me cocodimol and sent me away. If been having period but I got really bad cramps after the painkillers thought maybe a miscarriage so took a test that was positive. Went to the epu in the middle of the night to be told (by a bitch who’s face I’ll never forget) that I couldn’t get a scan in the middle of the night so why did I bother coming, I should go home and miscarry there. Booked a scan a week later to see it was all done and boom 27 weeks, fully healthy baby. I had lost weight because I was going to the gym every day, still looked thick but definitely no bump. When I told my cousin she explained to me that I clearly had longer to go, then picked her jaw off the floor. I was a wedding 3 days before he was born and danced for hours in heels.
Honestly the thought of being pregnant for almost a year seems madness to me.

I had a week on the ante-natal ward before DS was born. Another woman there was IIRC 37 weeks pregnant and had been admitted to keep an eye on possible pre-eclampsia.
When we first got chatting, I asked her how far along she was, and was gobsmacked when she said she was nearly full term, I honestly thought she was going to say 12 weeks or something. She was very petite, maybe a size 8, no bump to speak of. She'd found out at 33 weeks, had no idea, she had gone to the Dr's because she was feeling a bit tired and run down.
I was 38 weeks at that point and we looked so ridiculous standing next to each other, you could hide pretty much the whole of her behind my mega-bump.

In my experience, there's no way I could not know I was pregnant. morning all day sickness for weeks, horrendous heart burn, pelvic girdle pain, etc.
However, I have friends who breezed through pregnancy with few or no symptoms. Not everyone gets a big bump, some barely show even at 9 months. I can totally see how it happens. I just wish my body responded that well to pregnancy.

I knew somebody who didn't know until she went into labour.

She'd had a close bereavement and wasn't coping very well, drinking a lot and not really taking much notice of what was going on.

All turned out fine though luckily.

I always need to say on these thread that despite everyone ever having been born as a result of pregnancy there’s not actually that much research and knowledge (relative to how common it is). There’s branches of the medical profession but what is told as absolute is not always true.

Happened to my friend. She's a larger woman and just thought she was gaining weight. She still had periods every month.

Happened to a good friend of mine. Got married at what would have been 8 months pregnant in a very fitted dress with no bump whatsoever.
She went to the doctor with 'churning in her stomach' a few weeks before and he told her it was wedding nerves. No other symptoms and no weight gain.
Woke one night with what she thought was severe food poisoning and gave birth to a 7lb 7oz baby boy two hours later on her bathroom floor.

An ex colleague of mine didn't find out until she was nearly eight months gone. She was spotting throughout and thought that they were periods. The placenta was anterior therefore cushioning movement and despite being petite she didn't have an obvious bump until then. It wasn't her first pregnancy but she had twins on her first one, so maybe that was more obvious.

I always thought it was weird. But I’m currently 22 weeks with an anterior placenta and not feeling a thing, so I’m starting to see how it can happen! I also have quite a high bump, so although I look bloated, I could easily mistake it for putting on some pounds rather than pregnancy.

It might be quite nice to have a surprise rather than go through the long tedious months of pregnancy. I’m jealous of those without morning sickness, pelvic pain and utter exhaustion.

Yep, I have seen this quite a few times. It’s a mix, some people are very obviously in denial. Others genuinely don’t know and it’s not at all obvious. I remember one lady who gave birth to a seemingly full term baby. I saw photos of her taken the week before - on a yacht in a bikini, absolutely no way you could tell. She had periods all the way through and couldn’t recall any unusual physical issues that would pass for movements etc. She had also been pregnant and given birth previously so had experience in this regard. It was a very pleasant surprise for them (marred a little by worry as she had maintained social drinking etc throughout not knowing she was pregnant), they were so pleased about it, absolutely no reason for her to lie about lack of physical symptoms. Having seen a few of these I was always shit scared it could happen to me.

PCOS meant I went months without a period, (once went 7 months between periods, and not pregnant) so I wasn't surprised to go months without. By the time I saw the doctor I was about 18 weeks along, no symptoms, no weight gain, no bump. Even when almost full term I didn't look very pregnant.

The second time I got to 14 weeks before figuring it out. Went to the doctor and he sent me away saying I was no more than five weeks along and it was too soon to be seeing him. A blood test gave some "worrying results" so I was given a scan which showed I was as far along as I thought and the doctor was wrong.

I get the carrying high, continuing to bleed etc. I also understand that with an anterior placenta then movements can be muted esp before 25wks. I had AP with one of mine and yes, flutter like movement was virtually non existent. However, it’s those huge body roll movements that happen later on where a great big bum will be a hard lump at one side and move all the way across to the other. These are the movements that I’m stunned women don’t notice. DH filmed it a few times and it’s so clear and so obviously alive that I’d have been utterly terrified had I not known I was pregnant.
The other thing is the hardness. Even when my bump was small it was hard and not at all like fat. I couldn’t lie on my tummy from about 14wks.
But obviously SN or trauma can mean a woman is in denial.

My MIL didnt know she was pregnant until 36 weeks...with twins! She had a fall on some stairs and went to a+e with really bad back ache, the twins were picked up on thr xray.. obviously not knowing she was expecting there were no precautions. Shes mildly overweight but not obese..she had 4 kids pre-twins and knew early on with all 4..so it was a massive shock!...though i imagine the shock would have been worse a few weeks later if she hadnt had the fall. Both my bil and sil were born safely and BOTH over 7lb. The human body is so confusing

This happened to a close friend of mine, she had no idea she was pregnant, didn't look pregnant, was still having regular periods, her and her dh and me and my dh had all went on holiday together , lots of drinking , two days after getting home she woke up during the night in lots of pain, her dh phoned an ambulance, they had no idea what was going on , turned out she was in labour, with a healthy full term dd, obviously a total shock for everyone, that was 2.5 years ago now and she's very obviously pregnant this time with dd2

A woman who lived opposite mygran did. It was her third child. There was a large gap (17 years) during which time she had not fallen pregnant at all . This was in the 70's so the Dr had basically shrugged at said that sometimes you become infertile after kids, get a hobby.
She noticed her periods mainly stopped, her dress size went up just one. She thought she was becoming menopausal. She noticed very little movement, my gran often talked to her and sometimes she'd think she had wind!
The day before she gave birth she was helping her husband and his manager lay patio slabs (!).
The baby was small (maybe early?) But healthy. As soon as Labour started she knew what it was.
My gran gave her all of the nursery things as my uncle had just got big enough for a bed. Gran was utterly convinced this woman was completely in the dark. My gran is generally sceptical as well.

I was sterilised. Thankfully I have clear signs of pregnancy early on and did a test. The doctor on the phone asked if I was sure it was positive. It turned out it was ectopic. Bloody dangerous if I hadn’t of known. I was already internally bleeding when they operated.

Ds1 I didn’t feel kicks just movement - it could easily have been wind.

Oh and no alien movements as h called them. We ds2 you could see hands / feet etc and the bum or head up but nothing with ds1. Being my first my tummy was much tighter and it was 26” waist when I found out.

A girl I worked with didn't know until 6 months - she didn't show at all and was still having periods. She went for a check for something else and found out she was pregnant.