"When they asked if she had any reason to believe she was pregnant, she said, 'No.'"
Must have caught it from a toilet seat.
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There was this young sister from a Macon congregation years ago I knew, my family and hers were fairly close. One day she was complaining of bad stomach pain, to the point that her folks took her to the emergency room. Eventually the doctor came out and told the father that she and the baby were fine. The parents had no idea up to that point, she hid it that well. And she wasn't that big of a girl.
OK. I was unaware for 4.5 months. The tests came back negative 3 times so I figured since I was under 100 lbs. due to stress and pioneering, I was irregular. Then I went for a blood test and it came back positive at 5 months. You could see my hip bones at 7 months. She was 4 lbs full term.
After that one, I knew what was up. With baby #2 I knew in about 15 minutes!
I'm always amazed at these stories, too! No morning sickness? No sensitive breasts? Those are early, early "symptoms."
And while I believe you, alamb, you must be an exception, no?
Scully and Joy, are most of these "never-knew-I-was-carrying-it" babies so small?
And while I can almost understand that some young teens wouldn't understand what was happening, I'll be dashed if I wouldn't know if my daughters had stopped menstruating and started gaining weight! Who are these parents without a clue?
I'll be dashed if I wouldn't know if my daughters had stopped menstruating and started gaining weight! Who are these parents without a clue?
Teenagers are masters of deception. If Mum's buying the sanitary products, daughter can pretend to be using them (dump them in a garbage can to make it look as if she's going through the normal pattern of usage). If daughter buys them, then it's easy to get away with not buying the products.
As for gaining weight, if it's winter, she could hide her tummy with big jumpers and coats. Not all girls are the skinny waifs that we see in the media, so if she's a little on the big side, people won't suspect anything if she's wearing loose tops/skirts.
I agree though, it's mind-boggling to think these girls don't recognise the symptoms, but then, not all might be as educated as we are, nor may they be as emotionally capable of handling the thought of having/raising a baby.
