What's the longest you DIDN'T know you were pregnant?

[TaRhLi.]

I knew at 3 1/2 weeks with mine, but my mum didn't know until she was 5mths with me. I was a placenta previa baby and my mum would still get AF every month (or what she thougth was AF but was more than likely breakthrough bleeding from the placenta position), she went to the Dr because she didn't know why she was feeling so wretched. I was born at 8mths gestation so a very quick 3mth pregnancy for my mum, added to the fact she spent the last 3 weeks before I was born in hospital confined to bed due to possible placental abruption.

My mum was 36 when she had me and my brother was 11 and my sister 8, so I certainly was a surprise baby

[~clover~]

The lady next to me when I had DD1 was 42 & thought the symptoms were menopause. Her other DD was 21. Noone picked up on it til she was in labour. Some babies are less active than others.

DD3 was my latest, at around 8 weeks. My period was all over the place, from 3 weeks to 8 weeks apart & had been like that since it returned when DS was 9 months old. Being unplanned I didn't pay any attention to any symptoms til I woke up one day & the smell of washing powder made me run for the toilet. M/s kicked it at about 6 weeks with all the others.

DS was my earliest at 3.5 weeks.

My MIL was also about 6 months with her 6th. She really didn't expect it! She was still getting AF til then.

[bellany]

At work recently a 48yr old found out she was pregnant when she was around 20ish weeks. The dr told her he must have ovarian cancer and raced her for an emergency scan but turns out the abnormal growth was a baby lol. Her husband and grown up children raced to be with her when they found out.

This was like my mum's last. At 47 she thought she had ovarian cancer but the scan revealed she was 17 weeks!

[surprised]

I hope this question isn't offensive, but those who know someone who didn't find out til they were like 20+ weeks - were they quite big ladies?

After 2 babies I just can't comprehend not realizing...

[MrsFabuloso]

With my first pg (which ended in miscarriage) I found out at about 11 weeks. I didn't know because DH (at the time only my boyfriend of about 3 months) hadn't told me that the condom burst...silly man! When AF didn't turn up for a second month, and there was no other real reason for me not to have a period, I took a pg test.
With DS1, I was about 7 or 8 weeks. DD was only 7 months old and still breast feeding when I fell pg, and my period was really sporadic, so I just didn't really take into consideration I would get pg yet.
The other three pg's (1 ending in m/c) I was very early, 4-5 weeks.

As for people not knowing until VERY late in pregnancy, how would you not feel a baby moving inside you?? I can't comprehend that, because I always felt like they were trying to claw their way out of me by the time I was about 26 weeks or so!!

[onthefly]

It seems incongruous with my experience of pregnancy, but obviously it can happen. It must be incredibly distressing and traumatic, though, to suddenly be having a baby!
With IVF there's no chance of a surprise, so it's not happened to me.

[TeniBear]

As for people not knowing until VERY late in pregnancy, how would you not feel a baby moving inside you?? I can't comprehend that, because I always felt like they were trying to claw their way out of me by the time I was about 26 weeks or so!!

With Ianto, I easily could have gone quite a while not knowing he was there (*shudder* Imagine if I hadn't and what happened still happened...). He was a very slow-moving bub, never kicked me that hard, and I would probably have shrugged the kicks off as gas or something like that.

[LimeSlice]

I have trouble getting my head around someone making it to term without realising too. I think though that it has been drilled into me since I was bout 8 years old that if you have sex there is *always* a chance you could be pregnant...So if I felt off, not quite right, strange feelings inside me, then period or not, contraception or not, it would always be one of the first things I would consider, at least to simply tick it off the list. I would also expect it to be one of the first questions a care provider would ask me, or any woman, with unexplained symptoms.
I'm not going through menopause - or old enough to assume I am, or having any fertility issues to make me question my ability to conceive either.

[~TT40~]

I hope this question isn't offensive, but those who know someone who didn't find out til they were like 20+ weeks - were they quite big ladies?

After 2 babies I just can't comprehend not realizing...

My friends DIL was very slim. Bub just wasn't a big baby, and she didn't show, just looked a little bloated. Bub also didn't move much. Some babies aren't big movers, another friend who knew she was pregnant and had a live baby said it was normal for her to go days without feeling her son.

This same friend (with the DIL) is also a midwife and cared for a women who was in labour and didn't know she was pregnant. She was late 40s, and also thought she was going through menopause, putting on weight, feeling tired, period stopping etc.. even whilst labouring she kept repeating "I'm NOT having a baby". It was very traumatic, but she couldn't have had a better midwife, my friend is amazing and was with her the whole way, she didn't leave that womans side until many hours after her shift. and she felt ok to do it, because the woman had named the baby, so that was acceptance.

the thing that is really crap about it all, is it is required us midwives report it to docs because of the "no antenatal care". But on the flip side, that does ensure they do get the extra support around them. and you would be surprised who comes out of the wood work with old cribs and blankets and food for the mum. A village really did help the woman that day.

[PumpkinZulu]

I feel the same way as LS, pregnancy was always always always the first thing I was taught to worry bout when feeling off (once I was sexually active, obviously!). For my experiences of pregnancy, it seems unimaginable that someone could not know. I used to be quite cynical about the whole topic actually. BUT, now I see it this way; these women, their bodies obviously handle pregnancy very, very well. Better than most. No huge bloated belly, aches or pains, braxton hicks, prelabour, SPD etc. Just a bit more tired and a bit of weight gain! I'd imagine it would be a huge shock, and while I can hardly comprehend not knowing I was pregnant and going until term, I'm no longer cynical of people who have.

[Taurean]

Both our girls were very well planned so I knew as AF was due. Had an inkling and the test proved I was right.

My cousins daughter didn't find out until 20 weeks with her second baby though! It was quite a shock for all involved!

[jellybean88]

About 3.5 weeks for both with a hpt both planned so I was looking for it ds didn't move much but it was still strong when he did
My mil found out at 3 months with her first she was told she couldn't have kids which obviously was wrong because she had 2 in the end

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

I didn't have MS (well, not really - and it was triggered by pregnancy vitamin tablets the odd time it happened!), didn't really gain any weight, or even a "that's a baby bump" size bump until just after 8m gone, so if it weren't for missing period and kicking it would be 8m for me (as I had kicks, it would have been... 16-17w, from memory). And if the placenta was near my skin rather than my organs so I didn't see the kicks, and if I didn't want a baby so was tracking my very erratic periods, I'd be noticing at term. OK so Liebling was "late", but he'd be "term" when I noticed, even if he was still inside for another month.

And no, I'm not fat. I was also in pre-pregnancy clothes at 40w. I did look a bit fatter and couldn't fit into size 8s, but had size 12s in the wardrobe that fit beautifully so wore those. But I dare you to tell me size 12 is fat!

[No.5]

For me, 5 weeks with my angel baby.

DD was not a mover so I can see how some people may not feel their baby move or pass it off as something else.

A friend found out at 16 weeks. She had an inkling but all the tests (blood and urine) kept coming back negative.

[Chrispe]

A friend of mine with PCOS found out at 26weeks. She had been taking hpt and they were all negative. Placenta was anterior too (on front wall) only found out when she did because she went to drs and was sent for scan. She and her DH though they would find a 8-12week bub, 26+ weeks instead!

With mine I have always known before 5-6weeks. But I didn't show or have many movements before 26 weeks so I can understand how others might not know. (size 12-14 here and have been since teens)

[Floweryfields]

No me personally, but someone I knew didn't until she went to the hospital with bad stomach cramps and was in labour. We had all been looking at her thinking she'd gained alittle weight, and there was one moment when I thought her belly looked round like a pregnant person.
I'm not sure she wasn't in a little denial though because of various things going on in her personal life at the time andleading up to it.

[Tinks]

I don't think it has anything to do with size.

[Jellyfish]

I get it. I was still wearing my size 10 jeans long past 20w. I have feelings when I'm not pregnant that feel exactly like I remember kicks and tumbles although they obviously are not. All you then need is to skip morning sickness instead of periods.