You've seen that show I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant, right? Every time it's mentioned, people say things like, "You've have to be an idiot not to know!" or "All those women are really obese." Neither of which is true, or at least not every single time.
Women find out they're pregnant at all different points in their pregnancies. I didn't find out I was pregnant with Rowan until 11 weeks along, and didn't have my first appointment until 13 weeks. But I knew at 3-1/2 weeks when I was pregnant with Aurora.
Amongst my friends, the variation is much more extreme, and of course, even more so from people out there I don't know.
One of my friends, Melanie, charted her basal body temperature (BBT) and cervical mucous to pinpoint ovulation, so when she saw a change in her BBT after a particular sexual interlude on the right date, she knew that she was pregnant already at less than 2 weeks.
For my friend Nysa, even a blood test in the second trimester done at her doctor's office said she was not pregnant … but she was. After receiving the Depo shot, she got really sick, and went back to the doctor. Since that can be a side effect if the shot is given during pregnancy, they went and checked again and sure enough, she was 18 weeks pregnant.
For a third friend, Christina, there was a real shocker. She had been working incredibly hard to lose weight, eating a very healthy diet, and doing P90X daily. In her food log, she gets frustrated because her weight just stops dropping, no matter what she changes. Christina went on vacation with her family and got really upset when multiple people commented on her "pregnancy." Then she finally thought about it and realized she couldn't remember her last period, so she tested, and sure enough: Positive! A trip to the doctor for an ultrasound revealed the biggest shocker of all. Not only was she pregnant, but she was 28 weeks pregnant with a little girl.
And not to be outdone, an I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant story from my friend Jessica. Her Facebook status shows she wasn't feeling well for about a week or so. Eventually, she had to go to the hospital, and of course, ends up finding out she's having a brand-new baby girl — right then. Quite the shocker!
I know it can be hard for some people to imagine going through pregnancy without knowing, but every pregnancy is completely different. I had no morning sickness with Rowan, but lost 14 pounds and barely managed to eat in the first trimester with Aurora. Even moms who've had multiple pregnancies that were similar can have one that is entirely different than others.
My friend Nysa says she totally recommends skipping half the pregnancy, by the way. Seems so much shorter, I'm sure!
How far along were you when you found out? Any of your friends have crazy extremes in either direction?
Image via farenheight45one/Flickr
