Women are sharing the moment they realised they were
pregnant – and the stories are a far cry from your average scene in a pregnancy test advert.
The discussion started on Twitter when comedy writer
Kristen Van Nest asked women to share their experiences.
“I feel like every movie has the character vomiting in a sink, but I heard this is highly uncommon IRL,” she said. “If we wanted to write more authentic scenes, what would those be?”
Soon, more than 1,500 women replied with their pregnancy stories.
Of course, finding out you’re pregnant is a very different experience for women who don’t want to be.
And as author Libby Page pointed out, if you’ve been actively trying to conceive, you’re probably taking regular pregnancy tests anyway.
Is the scene you're writing supposed to be for a planned or unplanned pregnancy? Because if planned chances are the woman has a stash of 'early result' pregnancy tests and takes them every month even before their period is due. That's how it was for me anyway.
— Libby Page (@LibbyPageWrites)
March 29, 2022
But the thread is also full of women who had “happy surprises”, or those who experienced symptoms before a test confirmed all.
For many it was the overwhelming tiredness that made them cotton on, with Labour MP Jess Phillips admitting she fell asleep on the loo at work when pregnant with her second child.
I woke up and I'd fallen asleep on the loo at work, in that moment I knew I was pregnant. It wasn't my first pregnancy so I knew of the early ridiculous tiredness.
— Jess Phillips MP (@jessphillips)
March 29, 2022
The tiredness ? With my second I'd wake up, do the school run and then come home for a nap! Before having an after breakfast nap, an after lunch nap and a post school run nap in the afternoon! ???
— CahillDavisPublishing (@PublishingDavis)
March 29, 2022
Yes me too, first sign was extreme tiredness and I fell asleep at work ? I was about 6 weeks pregnant at the time.
— smp?? (@suemp19hba)
March 29, 2022
Many others detailed sudden changes in food preferences, with several women describing the sudden desire to eat meat for the first time in years, or the sudden rejection of it.
I was a vegetarian for 17 years previously, one day I craved a steak and ordered it at a restaurant, my husband just stared at me. I think my body was telling me something!!
— Lizzy B (@lizzy863)
March 29, 2022
Walked into a butcher’s, smell turned my stomach and I had to walk out
— Jane Merrick (@janemerrick23)
March 29, 2022
I ordered a peanut butter dessert. Describing how good it was to my sister, she said "You hate peanut butter normally. What, are you pregnant?" Took a test and I was!
— Jessica Russak-Hoffman (@HoffmanJess)
March 28, 2022
With my second I felt absolutely infused with rage for a few days before the test ???and with my son I didn’t want an ice cream which is not like me.
— Alex Valk (@AlexValk)
March 29, 2022
Honestly, with my first I couldn't finish the coffee I made. Was completely put off of it. And this was maybe a week after ovulation, so no positive test for a few days. Have not had coffee since, actually.
— Lin-Manuel Miranda Cosgrove (@raging_banshee)
March 27, 2022
Didn't enjoy the rare steak and red wine I had ordered, in a way that was very new and visceral and all about smells/texture - was enough to have a good think about dates, at about 5 weeks.
— Speedo (@speedina)
March 29, 2022
Others described an almost “sixth sense”, feeling an urge to change habits or activities that wouldn’t be advised for pregnant women, or dreaming about pregnancy.
Had an overwhelming need to stop smoking immediately. 7 days later found out I was pregnant.
— Claire Adler (@cladle)
March 29, 2022
My skin felt weird and I couldn't jump into the sea off a rock. Invisible forces prevented me and I knew something was up. This was three weeks in.
— Tanya Gold (@TanyaGold1)
March 29, 2022
Bought our first house - had champagne to celebrate - sipped it and didn’t want to drink the rest - it didn’t feel right… tested positive the next day!
— HT Burbridge (@BurbridgeHt)
March 29, 2022
I had a weird dream about being pregnant. Couldn’t stop thinking about it. Took a test because I knew it’d be negative and I could stop worrying. It was positive.
— Conz Preti (@conz)
March 28, 2022
And apparently, our pets can also share these senses, with a few women saying their cats and dogs were ahead of the game.
Was only pregnant once. My cat knew before I did. She wouldn't leave my side and I didn't understand why. I was having insane hot flashes at night and after the 7th week I took a test and came up positive. I have PCOS so was not expecting it.
— Les the Nerd ?? (@msnerdgirl)
March 28, 2022
My cat sniffed me carefully, then turned around and peed on my leg.
— Caitlyn Lynch aka Catherine Bilson (@caitlynlynch6)
March 27, 2022
He peed on me twice in his 19 year life. Early in the only 2 pregnancies (out of 7) I carried to term. That cat KNEW.
— Caitlyn Lynch aka Catherine Bilson (@caitlynlynch6)
March 28, 2022
My previously docile (and very tiny) dog FLEW at the postman barking, and growled at any man getting within ten foot of me. A whole week before the tests showed anything.
— Sharon Marshall (@Sharontweet)
March 29, 2022
Several women described having a hungover feeling that lasted for days.
Went out with colleagues for a drink after work, had two glasses of wine. Woke up next morning with an insane hangover, thinking "damn I can't hold my drink past 30". It spread into a two-day hangover. On 3rd day realised the "hangover" was potentially a "human", peed on a stick
— Eleni (@Arzoglou)
March 28, 2022
Yes - hungover ?? That's the feeling I had - I was mad hungry and off my coffee. But I hadn't had anything to drink the day before.
— Toni Byrne (@ToniByrnehh)
March 29, 2022
I thought I still had a hangover 6 days after the party I’d been to. Wasn’t sick, just knackered. Suddenly realised I was late and went for a test on lunch break. Sickness definitely creeped up on me in the following weeks, but knew I was pregnant by then anyway.
— Alexandra Gibson (@alexandramgib)
March 29, 2022
And the lucky mums in the thread knew they were pregnant when someone else told them they looked great.
Never threw up but I was tired. My hairdresser kept saying I was glowing but I wrote it off as the first nice sunny day we had in a while. I took a pregnancy test as a joke and here I am rocking my 10 week old to sleep
— Roxi Vengeance ?️? (@kcking34)
March 28, 2022
My mum asked if I’d done something different to my hair before I found I was pregnant with child 1 - she said afterwards she should’ve guessed because I looked all glowy
— Chelsea Groome - copywriter (@fierce_content)
March 29, 2022
There were also a lot of stories about women developing a super human sense of smell.
When I realized I suddenly had super human smelling ability. I was walking like a half mile behind two teens and could smell their perfume like they were right next to me.
— Dyan Fox (@DyanFoxWrites)
March 27, 2022
Woke up feeling like I was in a different body, and I could smell the meat in the fridge from my bed.
— Erin Rudkin (@TinkerBerryErry)
March 29, 2022
Among the women trying to conceive, several recalled counting down the days until they could take a test, with one woman even discovering she was pregnant in the Costa Coffee toilets.
This is so true. I became obsessive about testing at the early possible opportunity. Even started doing it away from the house which is how I found out I was pregnant with my son in the toilets at Costa
— Anna Jordan (@WAPtheatre)
March 29, 2022
I was trying to get pregnant so I was obsessively taking tests and feeling of my boobs were sore.
— Tara Hannon
️ (@tarajhannon)
March 27, 2022
And reading every possible tidbit on the internet about what other people noticed first. Am I having that symptom too? When can I test? Is it time to test yet? Oh my gosh 5 whole more days until I can test.
— nicole sharkey (@coleyshark)
March 27, 2022
I was tracking my morning temperatures. As soon as I hit 18 days of high morning temperatures, which usually only happens when you’re pregnant, I took a test. Both times. I had lots of nausea, but never vomited.
— Gillian Fritzsche (@fritchbeetle)
March 28, 2022
Women undergoing fertility treatment and those who’ve miscarried also shared their experiences.
I've had 7 pregnancies. Early signs:
-crying over the fact that my husband doesn't love Halloween like I do
- hand joints too loose to open jars (pregnancies 5-7)
-missed period ofc
-strong aversion to raw turkey
-suddenly can't handle plasma donation
-test bc TTC
— Mathilda Zeller (@MathildaZeller)
March 28, 2022
Mostly from tests because we did a lot of infertility treatments, but on treatment breaks:
2nd pregnancy - a wave of nausea that hit me as we pulled into a parking lot, and I just knew
5th - a Sunday afternoon, I was super grumpy for no reason, and it dawned on me.
— AZ life (@A_Z_life)
March 27, 2022
First pregnancy: blood test for first ivf appointment showed I was already pregnant
Second pregnancy: cup of tea knocked me feeling sick (happened during first), hubby asked if I was pregnant. I refused to believe it, our daughter was only 13 weeks old ??
— Deanne (Dee’s Book Blog) ?? (@GeordieDeeDee)
March 28, 2022
Potential TW: For my fourth pregnancy and second baby I was really worried that I’d have another loss. I was done announcing it to my husband in cute ways. I tested two days after I was late, called my husband at work and then called my OB. But my rainbow baby is now 3!
— Notorious BGB ? (@itsbethbooker)
March 28, 2022
It seems no two pregnancy stories are the same, so this script writer has plenty of inspiration to work with.
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