Page 3 | To ask how you can not know you’re pregnant...?!

Budgetbride · 2019-11-26T12:18:53+00:00

3 times??? Someone I know gave birth this morning, didn’t know she was pregnant. First baby, at 18, found out she was pregnant at 8 months. Baby brought up by grandparents. Second baby, 10 years later (3 now) found out 2 weeks before birth. This morning, she gave birth again. Didn’t know she was pregnant. I’m sure there’s a huge element of denial here. AIBU to ask how you can go 9 months without realising?!

MyShinyWhiteTeeth · 26/11/2019 15:54

I've had periods at the start of all my pregnancies so I can easily believe not recognising being pregnant for a few months. I was thin and didn't have a huge bump and gave birth prematurely. I thought I had indigestion at first then a stomach bug. I only knew I was pregnant because the doctors did a pregnancy test and then the scans.

I have met several women that didn't realise they were pregnant until very late in the pregnancy. I have no reason not to believe them.

I've known one woman who was in denial about being pregnant. She was obviously in denial and needed help. I've known several teenagers that were either very ignorant or in denial about being pregnant.

I've met a few women who believe they are pregnant when they are not.

winterbluues · 26/11/2019 16:00

There's AMA about someone who didn't know they were pregnant till a few days before they gave birth on mumsnet somewhere. Interesting read

Twatwaffles · 26/11/2019 16:06

All these instances that people are sharing... not really relevant to the OP.
A) finding out at 19/29 weeks is not the same as not finding out until right in to labour and ...
B) op clearly states that this woman reckons she's been through it 3 times!

Meltedicicle · 26/11/2019 16:20

My SIL is morbidly obese and with both her pregnancies, you couldn’t tell at all, her body didn’t noticeably change shape and she had no pregnancy symptoms. Her first pregnancy wasn’t planned and she was on the pill so had no idea she was expecting. The second time was planned so she took tests etc and found out but to the outsider you’d never have known and she says she wouldn’t have known herself had it not been planned because she had no symptoms and she couldn’t really feel any movements in the same way that I could when preg. Three times as per the OP seems a bit far fetched though!

Venger · 26/11/2019 17:21

In all of my pregnancies I had bleeding every 4wks, in two of them I had an anterior placenta and a breech baby so felt next to no movement and due to a tilted uterus and baby facing towards my spine looked bloated or like I was carrying a food baby rather than pregnant. If it wasn't for the hyperemesis I could quite easily overlooked the few symptoms I did have.

riotlady · 26/11/2019 17:27

I knew a lady who got pregnant almost immediately after having her first, and put all the subsequent symptoms down to hormones due to the first birth, instead of realising she was pregnant again! Found out about 6 months I think when the baby moved and she was like... hang on.

Thatagain · 26/11/2019 17:33

She did know she just didn't want to tell anyone. All of my pregnancies I had normal peroids my DS I didn't find out untill I was 7 months you can find out late although she must of known. Where her babies small.

ToniHargis · 26/11/2019 17:39

I'm just wondering why this matters?

SimonJT · 26/11/2019 17:39

I used to work with someone who had a surprise baby, she was tiny, short and very slim, she was a keen cycler so often wore fitted training gear.

She took ill on a work trip to Washington and was admitted to hospital just before her flight home and gave birth to a baby boy. If it had happened forty minutes before she would have been on the aeroplane over the atlantic when she became ‘ill’.

Wheresthesandman · 26/11/2019 17:39

To all the ladies on here who were still bleeding while pregnant, do you mind me asking if you were on the pill when you conceived and then continued to take it until you gave birth/found out you were pregnant?

It should not be medically possible to have a period while pregnant (as the hCG stops them) so the withdrawal bleed that you get while on the pill seems to be the only explanation

Fraggling · 26/11/2019 17:41

It's not impossible
Human body is not a machine
Unusual things can happen

bobstersmum · 26/11/2019 17:48

I can understand how some women get to about 30 weeks and not know BUT after that I think how can they not feel the baby move? With each of mine you could visibly see my whole stomach move as they shifted around in there, it wasn't a pleasant feeling, it felt like they were going to burst through the skin!

selfhelpneeded · 26/11/2019 17:52

@Wheresthesandman obviously the bleeds people are experiencing aren't actual periods but it's not that unusual to have some bleeding in pregnancy.

AllStarBySmashMouth · 26/11/2019 17:54

It definitely can happen. Some people really don't have symptoms and either don't do a pregnancy test because there are no symptoms, or do one and it's negative.

However, three times? It's unlikely. I mean I guess if her body just doesn't react to pregnancy the way you'd expect then maybe... but even then... it does kind of sound like she's doing the "if I don't acknowledge it, it will go away" which is how my friend ended up not "knowing" she was pregnant until 8 months.

Wheresthesandman · 26/11/2019 17:56

@selfhelpneeded Some people on here have described having regular bleeding and are referring to them as periods. I always assumed that when this happened it was because of the pill, I was just wondering if I was wrong!

cushioncovers · 26/11/2019 17:59

Once yes it can happen to anyone. Three times is a bit of a stretch.

Venger · 26/11/2019 18:04

To all the ladies on here who were still bleeding while pregnant, do you mind me asking if you were on the pill when you conceived and then continued to take it until you gave birth/found out you were pregnant?

I wasn't on the pill either when I conceived or during the pregnancies as all except one was planned. I did have another unplanned pregnancy which I didn't keep, it occured while I was on the injection and I didn't bleed in that one.

Original poster

Budgetbride · 26/11/2019 18:04

Some people have asked why I care, it’s because I have direct involvement with one of the older children.

I do really think it was ‘if I don’t acknowledge it it isn’t happening’

OP posts:

GrumpyHoonMain · 26/11/2019 18:11

Women with really low body fat and really high body fat often have smaller babies and also an inability to feel kicks / produce enough of the right hormones. So it’s possible I guess. But to be honest I think it’s more about a lack of understanding or perhaps not caring about their bodies or health — it’s no accident that stuff like this tends to happen more often with people who are a bit thick or ignorant about health issues.

Original poster

Budgetbride · 26/11/2019 18:13

Also not a small baby - 9lbs

OP posts:

HoldMyLobster · 26/11/2019 18:15

To all the ladies on here who were still bleeding while pregnant, do you mind me asking if you were on the pill when you conceived and then continued to take it until you gave birth/found out you were pregnant?

I was not on the pill, and I had one period when pregnant - it arrived exactly when it was due to arrive, and lasted 6 days. It was so obviously a period that I didn't bother testing to see if I was pregnant. It wasn't until my '13 week' scan that we realised I was actually more like 17 weeks.

I was so convinced I'd had a period that I discounted the fact that my other pregnancy symptoms (exhaustion, nausea, etc) all started and finished 4 weeks earlier than they had in my previous pregnancy.

Didn't happen in either of my other pregnancies. Weird huh?

doublebarrellednurse · 26/11/2019 18:18

Once I can imagine.

Three times and someone is in denial.

PositiveVibez · 26/11/2019 18:24

My cousin had her baby quite young and didn't realise she was pregnant.

She had regular periods and gained barely any weight. Nothing that would cause suspicion.

She got her mum to take her the doctor's as she was in agony. They thought she had appendicitis but when they got to the doctor's he told them she was in labour.

Baby was delivered at 6 months and after it being a bit touch and go for a while both mum and baby were fine. So although rare, I do believe it happens.

Wheresthesandman · 26/11/2019 18:26

Didn't happen in either of my other pregnancies. Weird huh?

It is. Human bodies are very interesting! A vaguely similar thing happened to my mum with me, she was on the pill then missed a bleed so took a pregnancy test which was positive. When she went to the doctors instead of being told she was 6 weeks pregnant she was told she was about 18 weeks pregnant. Luckily for her she was very pleased.

Rosebel · 26/11/2019 19:13

Well this slightly different but I found yesterday I'm pregnant. I had been having slight tummy pains for a few weeks and had felt sick but thought I might have caught the bug my husband had. Got doctor appointment and thought they were bound to ask if I was pregnant. I was 99%certain I wasn't but did a test anyway. Turns out I'm 10 weeks.
Not the same I know but I wouldn't have done that test if I hadn't been going to the doctor so who knows how far gone I'd be before I found out.