Pregnant and not know it...what are your thoughts?

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brboydjr
brboydjr Posts: 43 Member
in Chit-Chat
I read an article that a lady was having stomach pains only to find out that she was pregnant. She gave birth to a 9 lbs baby boy in her driveway. She says that she hadn't gained that much weight. Do we really live in a society where obesity is so common that people can be preggo and not even realize it? :sad:
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  • FoxBean
    FoxBean Posts: 910 Member
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    I've seen crap on a documentary about women who were pregnant and didn't know it, some of them were thin - I just think it is more of an intelligence issue or maybe being in denial and not right in the head? I don't see how you could just not know.
  • lookinggoodkel
    lookinggoodkel Posts: 1,235 Member
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    i didn't know i was pregnant until 5 months gone. I had been pregnant before but still had no clue until i'd stop breast feeding my other child and milk was still there after a week or two
  • runnergirl0721
    runnergirl0721 Posts: 2,289 Member
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    I only gained 20 pounds with mine, but I definitely knew I was pregnant. I have, however, had a friend who swears up and down she didn't know she was pregnant until about a week before she gave birth. While I don't see how this is possible, I haven't been in a situation to know one way or the other...
  • Cindy311
    Cindy311 Posts: 780 Member
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    I don't know how a woman wouldn't know! The movement of a baby is nothing like gas pain, or maybe I just carried vikings that liked to torture me from the inside. I can understand not putting two and two together for a couple of months but c'mon...
  • JustinAnimal
    JustinAnimal Posts: 1,335 Member
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    I obviously don't know, not being a woman, but I would have to assume you'd notice not having your period for five months... right?

    Not noticing a pregnancy right after another one? I buy that. Your body is in such a state of turmoil from the first pregnancy and, from what I've heard, your period can be delayed after a pregnancy.

    But, yes OP, it's pretty nuts to hear stories about people who are so large they didn't realize they were pregnant. It's baffling. Mind-boggling! Didn't the lack of period concern you? Is it possible to be pregnant and still get your period? I'm pretty sure the human body doesn't work that way.

    ETA: A favorite quote of mine that works phonetically, not really in print, but here goes: "Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, baby."
  • beaches61
    beaches61 Posts: 154 Member
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    I read a news article in our community about 10 years ago where a woman was having a hysterectomy and they did not find out she was pregnant until the hysterectomy was in progress. The baby died, and she was around 5 months along. The doctor did not do a pregnancy test before the hysterectomy, and the patient sued the doctor/hospital and got a settlement.

    I thought the same thing - how did she not know she was pregnant? By that time, the baby is moving. She also had had other children.
  • Toblave
    Toblave Posts: 244 Member
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    Actually, this happened to us during our first pregnancy. She actually lost weight (around 10-15 pounds) and continued to have her monthly cycle, it was a little lighter than usual but but still present. She never had any morning sickness, back pains or other issues or discomforts. We never knew until she started feeling sick one day, so we went to her primary who then determined that she had a stomach virus. Later that day it got worse so we called him back, he had her take a pregnancy test which came back positive. Turned out she was in labor. Our son was significantly under weight and spent some time in NICU when born but full term.
  • caseythirteen
    caseythirteen Posts: 956 Member
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    but I would have to assume you'd notice not having your period for five months... right?
    Not necessarily. Lots of women aren't regular enough, or observant enough, to notice. Also, you could continue to spot enough for them to think it was their period.
  • hdelamore
    hdelamore Posts: 206 Member
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    I obviously don't know, not being a woman, but I would have to assume you'd notice not having your period for five months... right?

    Not noticing a pregnancy right after another one? I buy that. Your body is in such a state of turmoil from the first pregnancy and, from what I've heard, your period can be delayed after a pregnancy.

    But, yes OP, it's pretty nuts to hear stories about people who are so large they didn't realize they were pregnant. It's baffling. Mind-boggling! Didn't the lack of period concern you? Is it possible to be pregnant and still get your period? I'm pretty sure the human body doesn't work that way.

    ETA: A favorite quote of mine that works phonetically, not really in print, but here goes: "Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, baby."


    Had to jump in here about periods
    I'm on a contraceptive which means I don't get periods...it's not 100% effective, therefore I could be pregnant and not know it.
    Also in pregnancy you can still get your period.

    In terms of not knowing pregnant, I had a friend who didn;t know she was pregnant right up until 2 weeks before she gave birth. She didn't show at all and was a size 10 (US 6) so it's not just 'obese' people who can be pregnant and not know, some people just show less.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    I read an article that a lady was having stomach pains only to find out that she was pregnant. She gave birth to a 9 lbs baby boy in her driveway. She says that she hadn't gained that much weight. Do we really live in a society where obesity is so common that people can be preggo and not even realize it? :sad:
    I've seen crap on a documentary about women who were pregnant and didn't know it, some of them were thin - I just think it is more of an intelligence issue or maybe being in denial and not right in the head? I don't see how you could just not know.

    Woah. Hold up there.

    Things that really boil my bologna are the shaming comments that come with issues around pregnancy.

    Pregnancy follows the same basic principles... but varies drastically from woman to woman. Even following that same basic "timeline" varies, hence why we have different conditions, states of pregnancy, etc.

    The "I didn't know I was pregnant" bits are not always linked to obesity. Nor is it an intelligence thing. Or an insanity thing ("not right in the head, seriously?"). I've known it to happen to someone who gained weight only in their breasts (they were young, spotting, and only found out around five months along when they went in for their chronic kidney issue "bothering them"; no, the backpain was linked to the baby).

    There are women who give birth at a lower weight than they were when they conceived. There are women who spot in exactly the same pattern as their period the entire gestation. There are women who never feel their child move, even though he/she ends up being born completely healthy. And this is all for women who KNEW they were pregnant; imagine if any of this happened and you didn't know.

    It's both frightening and comforting to know just how vastly different pregnancy experiences can be for women.

    But holy hell, what a strange brush of shade that's already being painted here. Good on you if you know your body so well that you can predict exactly how it reacts to all things at all times!
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I obviously don't know, not being a woman, but I would have to assume you'd notice not having your period for five months... right?

    Not noticing a pregnancy right after another one? I buy that. Your body is in such a state of turmoil from the first pregnancy and, from what I've heard, your period can be delayed after a pregnancy.

    But, yes OP, it's pretty nuts to hear stories about people who are so large they didn't realize they were pregnant. It's baffling. Mind-boggling! Didn't the lack of period concern you? Is it possible to be pregnant and still get your period? I'm pretty sure the human body doesn't work that way.

    ETA: A favorite quote of mine that works phonetically, not really in print, but here goes: "Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, baby."

    Some women continue to spot around when they would have their period throughout their pregnancy. Depending on what your period was like before, it might be easy to mistake it.

    I'm currently 5 months pregnant and not sure how you could miss the movement or other signs.

    I've also heard stories but always wonder if its just denial . I guess unless you've been there you never know.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    i didn't know i was pregnant until 5 months gone. I had been pregnant before but still had no clue until i'd stop breast feeding my other child and milk was still there after a week or two

    This is probably the most likely scenario when it's legit. I have a friend who didn't know until 17 weeks because she was nursing her other baby.

    I think when it happens to teenagers, it's more a case of them not knowing what happens to your body when you become pregnant. Their cycles may not be regular at that age, so missing a period is no big deal. They start having back pains and assume it's something else. The thought of pregnancy may cross their mind, but it's probably a really scary thing to someone that young, and they're afraid to tell anyone, so they never go to the doctor. Then when they have the baby, they say they didn't know they were pregnant, which may technically be true.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    I started throwing up and took a test before I even missed my period. The doctor couldn't understand how I knew I was pregnant so early.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    I don't know how a woman wouldn't know! The movement of a baby is nothing like gas pain, or maybe I just carried vikings that liked to torture me from the inside. I can understand not putting two and two together for a couple of months but c'mon...

    Actually, a symptom of IBS and IBD is a "fluttering" feeling; I've gotten it, immediately took a pregnancy test, discussed it with my doctor, etc. Not pregnant. It feels like something is moving inside of you... sound familiar? So say this happens again, with me on BC: my immediate thought would then go to IBS, not pregnancy.

    Again: the body gets weird. It gets even weirder with pregnancy.
  • lookinggoodkel
    lookinggoodkel Posts: 1,235 Member
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    but I would have to assume you'd notice not having your period for five months... right?
    Not necessarily. Lots of women aren't regular enough, or observant enough, to notice. Also, you could continue to spot enough for them to think it was their period.

    I bleed through my other 2 pregnancies not heavy but still bleed so i didn't think anything of it.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I started throwing up and took a test before I even missed my period. The doctor couldn't understand how I knew I was pregnant so early.

    My cousin knew right away too. She had to wait to take the early tests and got a few negatives before she got a positive.

    Me, I had no idea.
  • missyjg99
    missyjg99 Posts: 246 Member
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    I didn't know I was pregnant. I was bleeding non-stop for 6 months so I never thought to take a pregnancy test. My stomach grew, I looked pregnant but when you trust a doctor that's a complete idiot, it's hard. I was young and unfortunately my stomach was growing b/c I had cancer and I was pregnant. I didn't feel movement b/c I had a tumor that was growing in front of the baby so he was kicking that instead of me. So yeah, it's possible. I wasn't obese, overweight by 25ish pounds. Went to a nutritionist and went to a personal trainer. dropped body fat but I was gaining weight but doing everything "right", well except taking care of my baby. So statements like this kindof hit a nerve with me, but I realize I'm in a very small minority. My little guy passed away shortly after birth.
  • Rivers2k
    Rivers2k Posts: 380 Member
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    I read an article that a lady was having stomach pains only to find out that she was pregnant. She gave birth to a 9 lbs baby boy in her driveway. She says that she hadn't gained that much weight. Do we really live in a society where obesity is so common that people can be preggo and not even realize it? :sad:

    Things that really boil my bologna

    But holy hell, what a strange brush of shade that's already being painted here.

    I don't know anything about this topic. Reading out of interest. But I just have to comment I love the expressions you use! You get your point across but still gave me a smirk. Love it!
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    I had a friend that was in her 40's. Her period stopped and her doctor blamed it on menopause. She gained weight and her doctor blamed it on menopause. All of the symptoms that she experienced he blamed on menopause.

    Then, she gave birth at home in her bed on Christmas morning.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    I started throwing up and took a test before I even missed my period. The doctor couldn't understand how I knew I was pregnant so early.

    My cousin knew right away too. She had to wait to take the early tests and got a few negatives before she got a positive.

    Me, I had no idea.

    I knew immediately with both of mine. I can't really explain it. I just felt different.

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