I Didn't Know I was Pregnant

[Cassandra]

This is my tv crack. It amazes me how 90% of the time these women are too ignorant of their own bodies to realize they're pregnant. Of course the other 10% is kind of sad because the women have health problems.

The thing that astounds me about this show is there are enough cases of this happening to actually have a mult-season television show. But man, I love it.

[Witsec5]

I watched a few times and then stopped. I thought it was exploitation when I saw a couple who seemed to be learning handicapped. Both also had speech and language delays and slow processing. I work in special education and do cognitive ability testing all of the time and it was clear to me that both parents were slow learners at best. This was the couple who had the baby while camping. At least it ended happily and they seem to be good parents.

[muffynbear]

This is my tv crack. It amazes me how 90% of the time these women are too ignorant of their own bodies to realize they're pregnant. Of course the other 10% is kind of sad because the women have health problems.

The thing that astounds me about this show is there are enough cases of this happening to actually have a mult-season television show. But man, I love it.

This show amuses me and makes me paranoid at the same time. Do you notice that a lot of these unplanned pregnancies occur when the couple is only using Natural Family Planning? Or the woman forgets to take her BC on time, or the condom breaks. None of these couples seem to use the Pill AND condoms together- it seems to be one or the other, or nothing at all. NFP is a joke to me. Then they wonder why they ended up with a baby. I also wonder if any of the women on this show have given their child up for adoption? I can't imagine going about my daily routine and then *BAM* I find myself in the emergency room delivering a baby I didn't know I was carrying. I think I would have to go the adoption route if i were in that situation.

[xDreamerx]

I kind of love this show. And my Strange Addiction. I don't watch regularly but I will switch it on if nothing else is on. It's pure comedy gold. Has anyone else noticed a lot of the women aren't particularly attractive yet in the actress portrayal they're all glamorous and slim. I mean, I'm not beautiful or thinking I'm hot here but some of these girls :|. Also, nearly EVERY SINGLE ONE says they had unprotected sex or some kind of birth control failure. WHAT DID YOU THINK WOULD HAPPEN FUCKWIT?! I mean, yes technically and in theory NFP can work if you know when you're fertile days are I suppose but how many women can accurately do that? And even then I would not call this birth control by any means. As most people with half a brain know you can get pregnant any time, the percentages vary but it is still very possible.

Kathy Griffin pretty much nails it for me:

[kb2]

I can't watch this show, because it gives me a hysterical pregnancy. I never think I'm about to go into labor, but it makes me think, oh no, what if I'm like four months in and just haven't noticed, because they made it all the way to nine months without noticing?

And yeah. Their models are always really thin, while the women are less so. I don't think anyone ever actually neglected to notice a full-term pregnancy on a 110-lb frame.

[O Latin]

I've only watched a few times, but when I did it usually seemed to be women who'd been told they were infertile, so they weren't using birth control because they didn't think they needed it. A lot of them also seemed to have health conditions that caused them to gain weight and/or go for months at a time without having a period, so when those things happened, they didn't think anything of it.

[Rosa]

I don't care how common it is to skip a period, or how much weight I was gaining or losing anyway - if I am having sex with a man, I am super duper paranoid of pregnancy. And then when we were trying to have a baby I was always worried I *wasn't* pregnant. So I tested a ton, either way. Tests are cheap.

Hell, my boyfriend's got a vasectomy and I STILL wake up afraid I'm pregnant sometimes. That's aside from the fact that I associate pregnancy with nauseau so bad, my comfort pack if I get the puking flu is a 2 liter of sprite, bananas, and a pregnancy test kit.

(I have not seen this show but I would watch a marathon of it, I love shit like this. I visit my frind with cable and we watch Teen Mom or Jersey Shore for like 4 days straight)

[lovefromgirl]

And yeah. Their models are always really thin, while the women are less so. I don't think anyone ever actually neglected to notice a full-term pregnancy on a 110-lb frame.

I'm 4'11". I recently (finally!) gained twenty pounds, bringing me up to a whopping 108. It was freaky, watching my stomach pooch out like a three- or four-month pregnancy. All I'm having are food babies! Really! But wow, is it weird to look at, especially when the last thing I want is to be pregnant, ever.

Had I gotten pregnant during the weight gain, I might not have noticed it until half-term. Does not help that the medication that let me do that also somehow made my periods freakishly light. That, plus my mother's relative lack of nausea when she was having me... O.o

[Avalondaughter]

I have a friend who has been irregular all of her life and spent a couple of years trying with no luck. She didn't find out she was pregnant at birth time, but she was in her 7th month when she did find out.

One show made me really sad. One woman had twins. She was taking someone else to the hospital when she went into labor. She delivered on on the toilet and he had to be revived. The other one, the girl, seemed to be okay. The woman had all kinds of health problems and was told she couldn't have a baby.

They showed the woman and her boyfriend with the babies. Everyone seemed happy and healthy.

Then when they rolled the closing credits, they flashed the words, "In loving memory of Twin Girl." I was devastated. I couldn't believe they would make us go through the emotional rollercoaster of seeing those babies born and surviving and then says, "By the way, the girl died."

[DuckEgg]

I guess it all comes down to symptoms, paying attention and of course, health problems.

For example my Aunty no1: At her fourth child she had barely any symptoms. She almost passed it off as just gaining weight until she went to the doctor for some other unannounced medical condition.

Aunty no2: Had every symptom under the sun and swears that she knows the exact moment of conception. :doh:

[clibbyjo]

My SIL didn't know until she was 5 months along. She is one of those overweight,irregular period,no symtoms people so she was shocked when she found out.

[fundiefan]

I've seen part of one episode once. It is too weird for me. Not because I don't think it's possible but because it seems to be entirely possible for far more people than anyone would guess. And, it's just weird to me. Then again, most of the shows of this type are weird to me.

I think a person's mental state can contribute as well. As in - denial is a powerful means of 'not knowing'.

My cousin 'found out' she was pregnant at 5.5 months. Only, nothing added up. Today, 21 years later, she is sticking to her story and no one has ever called her on it as far as I know; everyone 'accepts' it even though everyone knows it is impossible. (Not the not knowing she was pregnant; her whole story is the impossibility) She was actually 3.5 months along when she said she was 5.5; the man she conceived with was a one night stand, not a former boyfriend as she claimed and continues to claim. She claimed to be due in the middle of May but her son was born in early August. Her son is the clone of the one night stand. Her story is she conceived the 'last time' with her ex, on Labor Day weekend but she actually conceived on Halloween.

Anyway. 21 years later, her story has never changed. She is either really, really determined or her mind has been in denial so long she actually believes she was pregnant for 11 months AND that she didn't know she was pregnant for 5.5 months.

[Austin]

I have to say after bearing a couple of children that when I first saw this program, I thought these women were either mentally handicapped or just plain stupid.

Then my son's friends (a young married couple) had a baby - completely unexpectedly - at home after the wife thought she had the flu. They are just a very normal young couple, both college educated and smart. Her periods had continued and it just never occurred to her that she was pregnant. She is a rather big girl, and she wondered if that had something to do with it (I don't know!) They were very welcoming of the baby, so I don't think it was about denial either.

The baby was a bit early, but he is doing fine now.

So I stand corrected in my attitude about this. Although I still can't imagine how it happens!

[MrsKay]

I've used FAM for over 10 years to avoid and achieve pregnancy with no user failure - it works, but if you screw up, there's no room for error.

I can see how some women don't figure it out until they're further along; my mom was over 4 months with my brother, still had bleeding etc., before she found out. The same brother called me a couple of years ago to tell me that his wife was pregnant - they'd just found out the previous day, and by the way, it was a boy... I freaked lol! She'd had bleeding until that point as well, and no signs, until she suddenly had a few fainting spells. My brother had been around enough pregnant women, along with having a daughter from a previous relationship, to figure out that he'd better get her to test. They think it was a subchorionic hematoma that caused the period-type bleeding.

With my last baby, I could kind of see how it could happen as well, because I lost a twin; I had bleeding, including a couple of hemorrhages, and severe cramping, until almost 3 months. But I knew the exact date of conception, and was taking progesterone, and also being followed closely with ultrasound and bloodwork. But I do remember thinking that I could kind of see, without my added stuff, how I'd think I was having periods.

I believe some women do make it all the way without knowing, but I just can't imagine it. My babies kicked and punched so violently in the third trimester that I couldn't possibly miss it, and was in agonizing pain with the last one (he was breech, LOVED to kick, and I had SPD, where the pubic bone splits down the middle). I could hardly move. I'd watch the show and curse those women every day during that period! :lol:

[Cassandra]

This show has definitely made me paranoid too. I'm pretty thin so I'd like to think I'd notice a baby belly, but all the same. :?

[Kaylee]

I've only watched a few times, but when I did it usually seemed to be women who'd been told they were infertile, so they weren't using birth control because they didn't think they needed it. A lot of them also seemed to have health conditions that caused them to gain weight and/or go for months at a time without having a period, so when those things happened, they didn't think anything of it.

That freaks me out, because it sounds so much like me. I was told by 2 different specialists I was infertile, and by another that I would never carry a baby to term even if I got pregnant. I've had really irregular periods (like 2-4 per year) my entire life, and was around 280 pounds when I got pregnant. I really didn't "show" until I was almost 8 months, but I got hit heard with morning sickness and then hyperemesis, so it was pretty obvious. The funny thing is my husband figured out I was pregnant almost 2 weeks before I found out, because I was convinced I was just getting sick & didn't want to get my hopes up. I finally gave in and took the test when the smell of tomato plants (just the vines, no fruit even) in the garden made me totally sick.

One show made me really sad. One woman had twins. She was taking someone else to the hospital when she went into labor. She delivered on on the toilet and he had to be revived. The other one, the girl, seemed to be okay. The woman had all kinds of health problems and was told she couldn't have a baby.

They showed the woman and her boyfriend with the babies. Everyone seemed happy and healthy.

Then when they rolled the closing credits, they flashed the words, "In loving memory of Twin Girl." I was devastated. I couldn't believe they would make us go through the emotional rollercoaster of seeing those babies born and surviving and then says, "By the way, the girl died."

That is sad. It might have been one of those deals where they had the show filmed and ready and everything and the girl dies before it aired thought. There's usually a gap of several months between when they finish filming and when it airs.

[jokersshh]

That show is freaky

[keen23]

Denial ain't just a river and all that.

Went to high school with a girl who "didn't know she was pregnant." Who gave birth a week after playing in a soccer tournament. The baby was totally healthy and full term. The girl was 17 when she had the baby, and in great shape- see playing in a soccer tournament the week before giving birth.

I personally got to 10 weeks with my 2nd before I realized I was pregnant. Because I was on the progesterone only pill and had been told that it would be normal to skip my period while I was on it. Except the skipped period was also combined with huge nipples and exhaustion unlike anything except pregnancy (also, I had two or three "false negative" HPT with this baby, at what should have been 6 and 8 weeks).

[CallmeChaCha]

OMG! I can't watch this show because it FREAKS me out! Also, because my boyfriend always tells me to "take that shit off" (probably because it freaks him out too but he just won't say it LOL). I agree with some of the other posters, I don't think these women take notice to changes in their bodies.

[JesusFightClub]

There was recently a case of a British soldier who unexpectedly gave birth in Afghanistan. She hadn't known she was pregnant, either.

I can see how it might be unconscious denial, your body behaving in different ways from a traditional understanding of what pregnancy involves, or even not knowing the signs and symptoms. With this soldier, it appears she was a bit confused about not being able to shift some weight, but she was still managing and exceeding all the fitness requirements and performing her duties without any problems.

The human body is a complex thing...

[AcidMolybdate]

Two things really irk me about this show:

1. That a women can't she doesn't realize she's pregnant for 9 whole months

2. That this happens enough for there to be a regular TV show about.

When I was pregnant I knew within 3 weeks of conception.

If you're sexually active and your period is late - isn't the very first alarm bell that goes off screaming *PREGNANT* ??? regardless of how much protection you use, the train of thought should be: late period? Oh shit, pregnant. Time to investigate.

[Minerva]

That show has made me so paranoid. Fortunately, I get periods from hell that I doubt anything could survive, but I've taken a test every time I had a light period.

I saw the first few specials before they made it into a series. There was a skinny, skinny woman (not just the actress but the woman herself) who didn't get any bigger her entire pregnancy. I think there was a woman who found out 6 months in or something. I was mildly entertained when they were flooded with so many stories (presumably) they had to make a series. I'm sure most people know someone who didn't know they were pregnant. Every once in awhile, abortion clinics will turn someone away because they're in their 3rd trimester even though they just found out. Which is probably just as rude a surprise as going into labour, but they won't air those stories on TLC.

[B5SnowDog]

If you're sexually active and your period is late - isn't the very first alarm bell that goes off screaming *PREGNANT* ???

Not if you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which several of the women on the show have. It causes infertility, weight gain, and amenorrhea, so I can see that a women with PCOS wouldn't think of pregnancy first.

[AcidMolybdate]

Not if you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which several of the women on the show have. It causes infertility, weight gain, and amenorrhea, so I can see that a women with PCOS wouldn't think of pregnancy first.

I agree that there's a legitimate percentage of women who are effected by PCOS and the like that might now know; but I have a feeling that percentage of women is so so small. Enough to warrant one special a year or something. Not an entire regular season of two women per episode that couldn't figure out their own bodies.

One of my best friends has PCOS and she's advised by her doctor that if she goes a 90-day time span (3months) without a period while being sexually active she's supposed to take a pregnancy test. Granted, she'd a married lesbian so she doesn't really apply this rule.

3-4 months I can see not knowing you're pregnant. But I can't fathom how someone can go 9 months and not figure it out ?!?! :think:

[ILoveJellybeans]

I know someone who made it 7 months before finding out she was pregnant with her third kid.

Ive watched this show before, and I cant believe that it happens so frequently.