While pregnancy comes as a surprise (sometimes a very scary one) at the result of over the counter tests, many women out there simply know it for a number of reasons. Be it standard symptoms that they have noticed, suspicions at behavioral changes, or even good, old fashioned women’s intuition. In this article we are asking the question ‘how did you know you were pregnant?’ and we’ll share some replies from around the web. Was your experience the same? Let’s start with some of the well-known bits and then we’ll move to the actual accounts so that you can smile and compare!
8 Signs that you might be pregnant
There are a number of signs that can indicate that a little one might be on the way and it is good to know and recognize them. Here are some examples:
- Bathroom issues – Bloating and constipation are early pregnancy warning signs, as well as frequent urination. If you are spending a lot of time in the bathroom all of the sudden then it might be time to take a pregnancy test.
- Spotting may occur – For the first 1 – 4 weeks you may experience spotting along with mild, moderate, or even severe cramps.
- Breast changes – Swelling, tenderness, and sometimes a darkening of the areolas are common changes that your body will experience once you are pregnant and are definite indicators that you should confirm with a test.
- Fatigue attacks – Sudden instances of fatigue, often accompanied by heartburn, can occur in the 4th or 5th week of your pregnancy and may continue well until the 12th
- Increased heart rate, blood pressure, and dizziness – If your heart suddenly seems to be busy an awful lot of the time (especially if you are finding yourself dizzy a lot lately) you will definitely want a pregnancy test.
- Mood swings – A side effect of pregnancy is that your progesterone and estrogen levels are going to take a dramatic jump. The mood swings will be noticeable and are a solid sign that you are likely pregnant.
- Morning sickness – Around 4 to 6 weeks into the pregnancy morning sickness can kick in and while the exact causes are unknown the result is nausea and general discomfort. Crackers can help but get a pregnancy test to make sure it is not just a stomach flu.
- Scent aversion – A sudden aversion to foods or places due to overactive olfactory senses are another strong sign of pregnancy. Your body knows what it likes and what it doesn’t, after all, so if you notice this change then take a test as soon as possible to confirm it.
Some commentary from mothers and mothers to be on the web
For your reading pleasure we are reposting some comments from netmums.com and from whattoexpect.com so that you can hear about how others knew that they were pregnant and can compare to see if your experience was similar. Let’s take a look at a few and see what you think!
Some comments from Whattoexpect.com
If you would like to read more of this thread then you can view it here: Whattoexpect.com
We’ve snapped a few of the good ones that we hope that you will like in order to get you started.
Intuition-based
HB215 cites intuition in the following post:
“Yes. I absolutely just knew from the day we had sex, literally. I just had a strong intuition and then it
“I just had a strong intuition and then it just intensified”
just intensified over the next week and a half. I took my test 11 days past ovulation and it was positive.”
Symptomatic suspicions
MK1537, by contrast, was a bit more on the symptomatic side:
“Had no idea. DH and I both took a day off work because I was having serious pain in my pelvic area and had been up all night tossing and turning. Went to Urgent Care and the doctor told me I had a lot of gas stuck in my colon. I thought that was the problem until the doc threw the door open and screamed that I was pregnant (she had had me take a pregnancy test as one of her tests, but that was at the beginning of the office visit, so I had forgotten about it). Needless to say we were shocked though not surprised, if that makes sense.”
Commentary from Netmums.com
If you would like to read more of this thread then you can view it here: Netmums.com
Without further ado, here are two examples from Netmums.com!
A little of both
Sarah-B-76 had both symptoms and intuition, as you can see:
“For about a week before I tested I was feeling a bit sick, and I was also full of cold. I can’t really explain it, but I felt as though there was something different. I did a test 4 days before my period was due, and it was positive 😀 “
Sometimes it’s mostly just surprise
Lorraine-C-14 thought she was just feeling a bit under the weather:
“With my first I didn’t have a clue. Despite being sick for two weeks we were both very shocked when the doctor said “congratulations, you’re having a baby”. Probably because we’d done a pregnancy test the day before and it had been negative.”
For the planners out there
Some folks, like Cherie N, simply know because they’ve been tracking their fertility cycles with diligence. She advises
“I think I knew both times, as both my babies were planned and I knew my dates etc, I felt really sick for one particular day in my most fertile week each time so I am guessing that is when I conceived.”
Some final words
We hope that you have enjoyed hearing these stories and we bet more than a few of you resonated a bit with these experiences. Each person is different, of course, and your pregnancy is going to have its own unique signature but it’s nice to know that you are not alone. We wish you and your upcoming little one the best!
