I didn't know I was pregnant?

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Alright guys!

I am a new L&D Nurse.. I try not to watch TV shows like the one mentioned above but this is the one I can watch for hours and be amazed! Haha! Has anyone out there had any patients that DIDN'T KNOW THEY WERE PREGNANT? Do you believe them! Please share your stories!

Specializes in Psych.

When I had my son, had we not have been actively trying, I would have not known I was pregnant. My cycles up until that point were never normal. It was not abnormal for me to go 6 or more months without a cycle. Now a days they are more predictable. I had an anterior lying placenta so most of the times I did not feel him kick or could have passed it off as gas bubbles. I lost weight with the pregnancy and never had to wear maternity clothes with either of my kids. The only reason I even thought to test was that the smell of cabbage made me want to puke and I love cabbage. As it was I was into my 2nd trimester before I found out.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

This seems to be more common among teens.. I truly believe it's more of a denial thing than anything. They are scared of their parents finding out and they hide it and lie until they are caught between a rock and hard place. I believe many just keep the lie going rather than admit they'd been lying and as a result, missed out on important prenatal care.. (I'm sure this flows over to drugs users as well)

I believe that there ARE cases where someone really just didn't know (what a wonderful SURPRISE though).. but I think they are rare. I have no science to back me up but I'd bet the actual cases of mom not knowing are

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
When I had my son, had we not have been actively trying, I would have not known I was pregnant. My cycles up until that point were never normal. It was not abnormal for me to go 6 or more months without a cycle. Now a days they are more predictable. I had an anterior lying placenta so most of the times I did not feel him kick or could have passed it off as gas bubbles. I lost weight with the pregnancy and never had to wear maternity clothes with either of my kids. The only reason I even thought to test was that the smell of cabbage made me want to puke and I love cabbage. As it was I was into my 2nd trimester before I found out.

Abnormal periods are what most of the women on this show have in common. I'll be honest, I've never been pregnant, but I've had friends who say movements made by the baby feel a lot like gas and nausea/vomiting can mimic the flu and be explained away, especially during flu season, so I think it's quite possible for a woman to NOT know she's pregnant.

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I have a good friend who had a baby girl 10 years ago and did not know it until 2 days before the birth. I was a real skeptic about this whole "I didn't know I was pregnant" situations. However, I spent a lot of time with her during her pregnancy and I never suspected that she was pregnant. She was married with two children and would have loved more so I know that it wasn't a case of denial and not wanted the pregnancy. She had been taking birth control the whole pregnancy and spotted here and there so there was nothing suspect on her part. I swear she did not look pregnant (she has always been somewhat overweight) and she did all kinds of activities during her pregnancy that she did not do during her previous ones such as social drinking and getting on ladders during a home remodel. So, with this experience, I am a believer that these things do happen here and there.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

When I worked in the ER as a tech there was a woman who came in with "cramping abdominal pain" at regular intervals. Of course this patient was placed in the gyn exam room. She was crowning. She insisted she could not possibly be pregnant. She had 3 other children. We had to literally run the stretcher up to OB as she had no prenatal care, and we couldn't get an accurate heart beat in the ER (not exactly our forte getting FHT during active labor). The ER doc actually took the patient up with me (OB was one floor above the ER) and we had to call down to let the RN know where we went.

The reason she INSISTED she couldn't possibly be pregnant--she hadn't had sex with her husband in a year. Umm ok. Her husband was shocked (the lack of relations was due to a medical condition he had surgery for and was still recovering) but pleased to have a healthy baby. We later heard the woman denied the baby was hers through discharge.

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Specializes in ER.

Women who say they have periods through the whole "I didn't know I was pregnant" thing sure do have periods....they have periods of DENIAL!

That said, we had a drug addict mom who swore up and down she wasn't pregnant deliver a baby boy in our ER. Made for an interesting shift.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

I don't automatically believe people when they say they didn't know they were pregnant...but I don't automatically disbelieve them either.

Someone with, say, PCOS, who can go a year or more without a period. Say she is a little on the 'fluffy' side and wouldn't necessarily notice a poochy belly. Say she has been told that due to her PCOS it will be hard, if not impossible for her to conceive a child. So she misses a few periods, feels a few rumbles in her tummy that she can attribute to gas, doesn't ever have to buy maternity clothes, and is lucky enough to never get morning sickness? Yeah, I can believe that story. It happens. It's not everyone's story but it's happened.

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Specializes in Psych,Peds,MedSurg,Tele,OB,Subacute.

**In regards to post #10 (mom on cocaine in the ER) Please tell me they didn't send baby home with her????:angthts:

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Specializes in OB, Peds, Med Surg and Geriatric Nsg.

I didn't know I was pregnant for 5 weeks! But to not know at all that you're pregnant would be impossible. I agree with the first poster that denial is a woman's bestfriend. Unfortunately, I had a miscarriage while attending to a pregnant patient in labor at OB on New Year's Eve..

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I never had morning sickness really.. and the 'gassy' feeling, imo, is only explainable until about the 22nd week. I can not imagine not 'noticing' the feeling of a human being moving around on my inside. It's not even close to gas. I'm not a tiny person (especially when I was pregnant) and I could literally see them moving around. It's not just kicks here and there. It's somersaults. It's a distinct feeling that you can't ignore away unless you're really, really trying. ;) I'm speaking in general, of course.

My favorite part of pregnancy was feeling the baby moving around inside me. There is nothing in the world like it and I can not imagine a not feeling a normal baby moving around in there. Obese or thin, there isn't a lot of room in that cavity.. you can't help but feel it. (IMHO)

Now people with disorders that cause lots of discomfort in the region (PCOS) could possibly mistake it.. but in general.. I have a hard time believing it.

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Specializes in Psych.
I never had morning sickness really.. and the 'gassy' feeling, imo, is only explainable until about the 22nd week. I can not imagine not 'noticing' the feeling of a human being moving around on my inside. It's not even close to gas. I'm not a tiny person (especially when I was pregnant) and I could literally see them moving around. It's not just kicks here and there. It's somersaults. It's a distinct feeling that you can't ignore away unless you're really, really trying. ;) I'm speaking in general, of course.

My favorite part of pregnancy was feeling the baby moving around inside me. There is nothing in the world like it and I can not imagine a not feeling a normal baby moving around in there. Obese or thin, there isn't a lot of room in that cavity.. you can't help but feel it. (IMHO)

Now people with disorders that cause lots of discomfort in the region (PCOS) could possibly mistake it.. but in general.. I have a hard time believing it.

I understand what you are saying about the movements. With my son I didnt feel any of those types. And since having my kids I have had times where if you look at my stomach you can see it move like it did when I was pregnant with them. Even made my hubby look at me odd, seeing he had a vasectomy after our son.

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

my mil hadn't had a period in for close to 18 months. her only daughter was a college student. she began feeling nauseated frequently and had frequent vomiting and diarrhea. she was almost 50, and was a heavy woman, but had lost almost 15 pounds.

the doctor dx gall bladder disease and made arrangements for her to have her diseased gall bladder removed. she was admitted right after labor day weekend and an enthusiastic young intern ordered

the standard pre-op tests -- plus one more, just to be thorough.

i've been married to her diseased gall bladder for 24 years!:D:rolleyes:

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