We have all seen or at least heard about that TLC Show “I didn’t know I was pregnant” right? If you’re like me, you thought to yourself, okay but how did you not know you were pregnant? Well, with my first pregnancy (eleven years ago) I can say, I have been there – I didn’t know I was pregnant!
I am sharing my experience of not knowing I was pregnant for my first ever pregnancy. Find below early signs and symptoms I looked for in my second & (now) third pregnancy.
Story Time: I didn’t know I was pregnant.
Let’s start out and say no, I did not go to the washroom and bam – baby! I found out I was pregnant at the 26 and a half weeks mark – just over 6 months pregnant! Turning just nineteen years old at the time of finding out. I was working until I went back to school in the Fall (fresh out of highschool and planned to go to University), and I was dancing competitively. I recently left the (extremely toxic) relationship (yes the one that I technically got pregnant with) and into a newer one.
So let’s break this down. The number one question I get when I say that is:
“How did you not know you were pregnant?”
- My period did not stop when I became pregnant – which is typically sign number one. It continued till about my seventh month of pregnancy. Yes, that is not fairly common, but can happen!
- I had no unusual vomiting, nausea or morning sickness.
- I gained a few pounds here and there – nothing alarming or concerning. As a dancer, I spent 25 hours a week that year dancing competitively. I watched my weight and was not being the healthiest at that time to maintain a certain weight.
How would I have known? That leads me to my next question I would get:
“If you didn’t know you were pregnant, how did you find out?”
Around the time I was 25 weeks (unknowingly) I started having a really sharp, shooting pain on the left side of my hip that went all the way up to my shoulder. I did not know what it was, but it was happening almost every couple hours – it was concerning. I went to my doctor and mentioned this pain. She booked me in for an ultrasound to see what may be the issue. I received a call the next afternoon from my doctor to come in right away. That’s when my doctor told me I was pregnant – and not only that – but I was in my 26 week of pregnancy.
It is an understatement to say I was shocked. A nineteen year old female that just came out of highschool, working and dancing, starting a new relationship – imagine how shocked I was. To skip over the hysterical crying – I was presented with my options (which being that far along, there were only two). After taking the time I needed to process everything in the short amount of time I had, I chose to raise this baby. Even if that meant being a single mom, with less than three months to prepare – I knew I was making the best decision for me and him. You know the saying “You never know how strong you are until you have to be” that is how I feel every day while raising that sweet (and yes – absolutely healthy – which I am incredibly thankful for) boy of mine.
Fast forward ten years later.
My (wonderful and amazing) fiance and I decided to start expanding our family. These are just a few things that ran through my head.
- “How will I know I am pregnant if ten years ago I had no idea?”
- What if I have no symptoms – do I just test and test?
Well let’s say – I became pretty in-tune with my body. Over the past ten years, I transitioned to a healthier lifestyle, and took better care of myself. I stopped waiting out concerns and trusted my family doctor. I felt the second we started trying to conceive, I was focused on my body’s reaction and kept an eye out for signs and symptoms of pregnancy before taking a test.
With my second (born in 2019) and now my third pregnancy (I am currently expecting – due February 23rd, 2021) I had early symptoms of pregnancy that lead me to take a pregnancy test.
*I experienced an early (chemical) pregnancy when trying for our second. I highly stress that you should wait until you have a missed period before considering taking a test. Always consult with your doctor*
Early Signs & Symptoms of Pregnancy
(that I personally had when trying for my second and third baby)
- Tender Breasts: Around my time of the month, my breasts do not typically become swollen or tender. This was my early and first sign that made me question if I was pregnant.
- Exhaustion: No – not just a typical mom tired or I had a bad sleep tired. This was a form of exhaustion that made you feel like you got hit by a truck. If I blinked a little too hard – I could have fallen asleep.
- Headaches: I am one to have frequent headaches but I started having full blown migraines almost every third day. As estrogen levels rise, headaches tend to show up more frequently once you are pregnant.
- Mood Changes: You know my moodiness was bad when my fiance told me to take a pregnancy test cause I was more emotional than normal.
- Bloating: It happened suddenly. I was in a constant state of being bloated with no reasonable explanation (or so I thought)
- Food Sensitivity: You know something is up when I do not reach for my everyday cup of coffee because all of a sudden – I can’t stand the taste of it. This immediate aversion to coffee happened in both pregnancies.
- Nausea: I felt a little nauseous here and there for both pregnancies before taking a test but I did not get sick. However, the second the positive lines showed up for me, the next day it hit me like a truck, and morning sickness kicked into full gear.
- Missed Period: This is what ultimately led me to take a pregnancy test. I started having the above symptoms. I was taking birth control for 10 years and my periods have always been consistent. Being off for a few days was a big deal for me. Once I was about 5 days past my expected period start date, I took a test & hello to the start of something wonderful.
I will put it as a big disclaimer here: As you can tell from my first child – from not having any signs or symptoms to my second & third where I had all the typical signs and symptoms of pregnancy: ** Not everyone will experience pregnancy the same way. Pregnancy is not a one size fits all experience. ** I am also not a doctor. Please consult with your doctor if you are concerned about any of the signs of early pregnancy. This is my experience with pregnancy and yours may be different.
I hope you enjoyed my story time of how I didn’t know I was pregnant with my first child, and the early signs of my pregnancies helpful. If you have questions about any of the above, I am very open to discuss. Drop a comment below, or you can contact me personally here or DM me on Instagram!
Thank you for reading all about my truly amazing (and incredibly overwhelming) experiences! xo
