"I didn't know I was pregnant..."

[CraftyMcGluestick]

Has anyone ever seen this show? I was watching it yesterday with a look of sheer horror on my face. I can't believe how many babies were born in public restrooms to moms who thought they were having a bowel movement!

I mean, do y'all think this is just maaaaaajor denial or is it truly possible to not know you're pregnant? This seems unthinkable to me since I started feeling pregnant like...days after conception. And now, wow--how could I not know? I am a huge, out-of-breath, hungry, sick, heartburny lady!

One lady yesterday was in labor and didn't want to cut her family vacation short because of her "minor aches and pains" and like a good sport, rode every ride at Six Flags! OMG! OMG! Thinking of riding even one kid's ride in my current 30 weeks state makes me want to kind of die.

Thoughts on this?

[Baby~Braatens~Mama]

I haven't seen this show, but have heard about this happening. I always wondered HOW someone could not know. I mean, when the baby starts moving, hiccuping? What the heck was she thinking was wrong with her stomach when it jumped and rolled? I don't know if I believe it is possible to not know, at least on some level. I just don't believe these women at all.

[Kelly1101]

My grandmother worked as a receptionist for a small-town family practitioner before she retired, and actually saw this.

The woman came in to the doctor with severe stomach pains and had a baby right there on the examining table.




I can't imagine not knowing. Just because of the movement, if nothing else.

[Amanda_Reyasmom]

I'm only recently starting to feel regular movements (ant placenta) so I kinda get it.. I spent more than 20weeks of this pregnancy looking for signs that I WAS pg! I'm already fat so putting on some weight wasn't really a red flag. I still don't feel kicks out front they're mostly down low or on the side. If I wern't noticing them I could totally see hwo someone could dismiss it as some sort of digestive ailment.

FWIW my sister is probably the most clueless woman in the WORLD and she found out she was pg around 32 weeks. So I think if she figured it out *anyone* could.

[Kelly1101]

See, I can see not knowing until third tri, if you're fluffier, keep having periods or have had really irregular periods, and have anterior placenta. But to TERM?

[lotusdebi]

DDCC

I know someone who didn't know she was pregnant until she was more than halfway through the pregnancy. She was old enough to have hit menopause and never expected to get pregnant at her age. She thought she was having stomach issues and found out she was pregnant when she saw a doctor about it. Her kids are 20 years apart in age. She says she feels more like a grandmother than a mother to this one.

[Amanda_Reyasmom]

Originally Posted by Kelly1101

See, I can see not knowing until third tri, if you're fluffier, keep having periods or have had really irregular periods, and have anterior placenta. But to TERM?

Exactly!

[porcelina]

Ha, I just caught part of that show last night too! It really hooks you in. I had seen it once before. I had also heard a story of a friend's aunt to whom this happened. I think what most of these stories have in common is that (1) the women have been told they will never be able to get pregnant, (2) they tend to be fluffy, and (3) they have irregular periods and/or bleeding throughout pregnancy. Then, add to that people with other medical conditions that could further disguise movement (maybe fluid in the wrong places, or irritable bowel, or something) and/or an anterior placenta, and you could imagine how movement might be easier to miss. Maybe in some cases, they are not doing good prenatal care, so baby is small, even at term. Anyway, I'm sure there are some ridiculous cases on there that involve deluded women as well, but it surely can happen.

[MaerynPearl]

My cousin went through it... between her anterior placenta and the fact that she was on the depo shot... she never once suspected it... until she went to the hospital with severe stomach cramps. She didn't gain any weight with the pregnancy, likely due to not having increased her food intake for the baby... thus losing weight while gaining baby.

Also, one lady on the show (from Northern Illinois, had her baby in Wisconsin at a cabin) is a friend of mine IRL and trust me... she wasn't in denial that pregnancy was possible! She had tested, although it was possibly too early.

[spughy]

This happened to a family friend - she is a big woman, tall and heavy-set but not obese. She already had 2 kids, the younger one was 14 mo when the surprise baby arrived - she never thought she was pregnant, she is a super-active person and was out chopping wood the day before she gave birth. The baby was a little smaller than her previous two and she never felt anything that couldn't have been explained as gas, she said it was a totally different experience than her first two. Also with two little kids she wasn't sitting still a lot to feel baby wobbles. She gained a little weight at the end but she figured that was because she was back at work and not chasing kids all day! She really had no clue, she thought something was horribly wrong went she went into labour so she dropped the kids with grandma and took herself to the hospital. EVERYONE was shocked. My in-laws saw her a week before this happened and said they never would have thought she was pregnant.

ETA: sorry to nose in on your DDC. I just saw this thread title on the main page and had to comment, it's still blowing my mind.

[Baby~Braatens~Mama]

I am usually a super active chick, I do physical work and am usually on the move. When I am sleeping at night I can feel the baby move, and he interupts my dreams. The other day I was high-speeding a piece of pipe and he kicked my stomache. It made the high-speeder jump off the pin, because of how close my arm was to where he kung-fu'd me. So, the idea of making it full term and NEVER having a clue, is just mind-blowing for me. Active or not.

Off topic: I love that name! Rowan!

[Galatea]

I get sucked into this show all the time. I don't get it, either!!!

[happysmileylady]

I am ashamed to admit that I watch this show a lot:

The one thing I have noticed about it is that a lot of women they feature either have their periods throughout the pregnancy or they have irregular periods anyway and have a couple of bleeds throughout the pg. Since an absent period is supposed to be THE big sign of pg, if your period isn't absent, I can kinda see, particularly the ones that go basically symptomless.

The ones I don't get though are the ones with lots of symptoms that should be obvious. Like the one last night. The girl was 18, the mom was a nurse. And even though the girl did have her period, she had several other obvious symptoms, like weight gain, nausea, heartburn etc. And, she began to exhibit signs of pre-e, her mom the nurse actually took her BP which was high, 140 over something, and her mom not only didn't insist that she go to the doc for the high bp, she then went out of town. The poor girl went out for 4th of July even though she wasn't feeling well and had a seziure from the eclampsia and had a car wreck. She was not consious in the hospital when they did the u/s and discovered that she was pg and they hadn't been able to identify her yet so they hadn't contacted her mom or any other friends or family and decided that the section was a necessary lifesaving measure, so the baby was born before the girl even knew she was pg. She wakes up in recovery and they are like, don't worry your baby is fine she's right outside and she's like what baby?

I just don't get how a nurse as the girl's mom, could miss signs that just appear so obvious, or at the very least, get the high bp looked at.

[JTA Mom]

It is weird, but then again, my mom didn't find out about me until she was 5mos along. Drank 2 whole pots of STRONG coffee the entire time too.

She did have really irregular periods, never ever got morning sickness, etc. I was born at term 6lbs even, so small. It's actually really funny how she found out. She and my dad went to the gynecologist due to her irregular periods, since they wanted children in the future and wanted to make sure nothing was seriously wrong. My mom says she regularly went 5mos+ without her period. The doctor was ready to give her some bc pills, but my mom insisted on at least an internal exam, to check everything (yes, she's a control freak). She said the look on his face was priceless. She even remembers his words "Well, miss, you don't need to worry about your fertility. You are 5 mos pregnant!".

I, on the other hand, have moderate morning sickness. It's what made me test this time. There was no way I could have the stomach flu for 2 weeks straight, kwim? And this was before I missed my period too.

I can't imagine going into the third trimester without knowing. I'm a big mama, but seriously, now, at 27ish weeks, I can SEE the baby kicking. By 30 some odd weeks, ds, who was born just shy of 5lbs (I hit 228lbs and am 5'3'' by then) would literally shift my stomach around. Really hard to ignore.

Ami

[MaerynPearl]

My mom found out with me at 3 months... she said in March she had gone to the doctor about her missing periods (and I was her second kid, wtf! shouldnt she have known?) and the doctor told her she should expect me about September 4th (just by feeling her uterus! I wish I had that doctor lol)

That happens to be my birthday

[AnneCordelia]

I have a friend who just 3 weeks ago had her baby in a restaurant bathroom. It was her 3rd birth, a vbac, but had also had a vaginal birth. She intended a homebirth. She thought it was a bowel movement too! At a restaurant for lunch with her husband.

My cousin was pg and didn't know. I saw her at a family function when she was 34 weeks and had no idea she was pg either. She found out a week later...so I guess she knew before the baby arrived, but only by a few weeks. Now that side of the family gets 2 or 3 periods a year, and she's a bigger girl...I'm amazed by the ones on that show who are really thin and birth 8lbers! Crazy.

[Just1More]

I'd be happy to have a baby that way someday...

Probably not happening. I know I'm pg a week before I can test. All 4 times. I just know.

[luv-my-boys]

I always thouht how could not know until we knew someone who this happened too. She was a co-worker of DH, now I saw her may a wk before hand at a company picnic and let me tell you I still dont see how anyone would have thought that 125ish lb lady was 9 months pg!!! DH came home one day saying that the ambulance had to pick her up because of severe pain and everyone thought it was her appendix...ummm nope it was a 7lb baby!!! Everyone was shocked the next day at work to say the least.

Me on the other hand I know this cant happen because I get soooooo sick with hyperemesis within days of getting pg usually before a test tells me.

[Just1More]

Originally Posted by luv-my-boys

I always thouht how could not know until we knew someone who this happened too. She was a co-worker of DH, now I saw her may a wk before hand at a company picnic and let me tell you I still dont see how anyone would have thought that 125ish lb lady was 9 months pg!!! DH came home one day saying that the ambulance had to pick her up because of severe pain and everyone thought it was her appendix...ummm nope it was a 7lb baby!!! Everyone was shocked the next day at work to say the least.

That just blows my mind. Wow.

[Baby~Braatens~Mama]

It is so weird! I might have to start watching it... wish Hulu would grab it up!