To ask - Can you really not know you’re pregnant?

[DefrostingBuble]

I’m just curious and it’s not a dig at anyone.

Recently on Facebook, a girl I know posted that she had just found out she was 30+ weeks pregnant and had no clue.

I have two children and during my pregnancies there is no way I couldn’t have known from about 4 months.

I was just wondering whether any of you had no clue you were pregnant until very late on and what made you realise?

I knew right away but a lady in my NCT group didn't know until she was 3 months in, and had her son a month early so we joked that she was only pregnant for 5 months :)

Yes, if I wasn't trying I'd not of known until I was about 28 weeks when I had heartburn constantly , didn't get any bump until this stage either.

Friend of mine went to GP with what she thought were menopause symptoms; was v surprised to learn she was six months pregnant, esp, as she'd been advised she was unlikely to be able to have children about a decade earlier.

I didnt find out til I was 17 weeks. My only symptom was migraines so bad I honestly thought my head would burst, my GP made me do a test before prescribing me some hefty medication.

I had DS 8 weeks early so I wasnt pregnant very long either @annevonkleve

Im 16 weeks now and haven't had many symptom's and no nausea and sickness at all.
Could mistake my small bump for Xmas weight gain etc
I can totally see how some women don't find out until very late

I was 16 weeks before I knew with my 3rd and that was only because I had a scan to try to see why I was bleeding heavily.
I had no symptoms.

Yep also thought I was menopausal. No real bump just a bit of lockdown weight gain. Took a test just to rule it out. Went for my first scan and was 26+6 so only 13 weeks from due date.
My gorgeous unexpected bonus baby has slotted right in and completed our family

I’ve always wondered this too OP, even as someone who has had irregular periods. A relative said she didn’t find out she was pregnant until 5 months (with her 4th child!) and to this day I still struggle to believe that’s possible!

A colleague of mine went home with period pains one day and had a baby at 11pm that night - they think she was 40 weeks pregnant. Baby and mum where absolutely fine! She had no idea, had been partying, on the pill etc etc.

My friend went to a and e with stomach pains on Christmas Eve 10 years ago, she had her son Christmas Day. Didn't have a clue

I never put on much weight in pregnancy and looked about 5 months pregnant at the end. Didn’t tell work until 6 months gone with my 3rd. I was super lucky to have few symptoms- mainly tiredness.

With my 3rd I found out at 3 months (I have PCOS and the first 2 were IVF babies). I only tested because I was super tired and then it suddenly clicked. Had it been my first I wouldn’t have realized.

So yes, I can believe you could get to 30 weeks without knowing.

One of my NCT group got pregnant when her first child was 3 months old (despite ebf!). She was complaining about being exhausted and not losing the baby weight and we all felt exactly the same! She had no periods but neither did any of us - all breastfeeding. She found out when she was 6 months pregnant. Had an anterior placenta and baby back to back so hadn’t felt movements til then.

I have a friend who didn't know until 21-22 weeks with her 4th. She had the coil and the way the baby presented meant no real bump. She then had him at 32 weeks so very much a surprise

Absolutely possible. My dear friend was told she couldn't have children - and unfortunately had failed fertility treatments etc in recent years. She adopted two little ones in autumn last year - both younger than school age. She then found out in January this year that she was 6 months pregnant after visiting a doctor with some symptoms that she put down to illness - sickness, tiredness, etc. The baby was a total surprise especially given that they had naturally conceived. It was normal for her to not have a period for months at a time due to various conditions including PCOS, so with that and the supposed infertility she didn't suspect pregnancy at all and experienced no symptoms at all until the week she went to the doctor.

Baby was then born premature at less than 7 months pregnant. So she only even knew that she was pregnant for a total of 24 days before giving birth! Baby was in NICU for a while and is OK now. So she went from 0 kids to 3 kids, all under 5, in the space of 5 months. Amazing story but obviously it's been tough for her.

I was trying to conceive with DD1 so tested as early as possible. However, I didn’t have any morning sickness or other typical pregnancy complaints other than headaches which could have easily been explained away. Until I was six months’ pregnant, I also had a completely flat stomach and didn’t look as if I was expecting. Due to an anterior placenta, I didn’t really feel much movement at any point. So yes, I can see how someone could not know they were pregnant.

I had no idea until I was 19 weeks and pos because i was randomly sick one day

It was my 3rd

I didn’t show until I was really late on (this is not a stealth boast 🙄 I had to have a shit ton of testing the whole ways through because they thought something was very wrong) so had I not been in tune with various other mild symptoms, I could easily not have known.

I didn't have any bump or movements until 26/27 weeks so i wouldn't have known if we weren't TTC and had scans

I had an anterior placenta and zero symptoms for this pregnancy (I'm 36 weeks now). Ironically, the stress of breastfeeding and caring for a toddler during lockdown made my periods stop before I got pregnant, and my weight gain could have been explained by lockdown routine changes.

If it had been my first pregnancy and I hadn't have been actively trying I don't think I would have known for a long, long time.

Exh sister was a size 8 dancing on table at a family party on the Friday evening on Saturday had back ache (suspected uti) by Sunday had a baby boy was full term. No bump, had irregular periods through out which was normal for her. Was her 3rd and she'd known and looked pregnant with her others.

I start vomiting and feeling like death about three seconds after conception.

Not knowing until until birth would be a dream.

I know someone who didn’t find out until thirty weeks. She’d had cancer treatment in her late teens and had been told she was infertile after, also because of the treatment she didn’t have periods. She was a bit overweight and quite big built so didn’t show. She went to the doctor because she was feeling run down, she was actually worried the cancer had returned, the doctor had her do a pregnancy test and a scan confirmed the dates. Fortunately it was a happy surprise for her.

I don't know. I'm now pregnant and didn't have much morning sickness at all (I had mild nausea and that was it) but felt the first trimester tiredness really badly. Maybe if we hadn't been trying I might have mistaken it for flu or something.
I would however have known something was "wrong".

This is genuinely one of my biggest fears. Like Sonia Jackson.

16 weeks preggie with an IVF bubs... if I hadn’t literally watched them go in, I wouldn’t have had a clue.