by Linda Green Mosley

Created on: March 30, 2009   Last Updated: April 01, 2009

I do not believe that a mother can carry a child for nine months and not be aware that there is life moving inside of her. I am writing from my own experience and from my experience as a Labor and Delivery nurse for fifteen years.

As a mother of three, I remember the changes that my body went through. The first symptom of missing a regular period was the first clue. I became pregnant with my first child at eighteen. I became ill when my period was due. My symptoms included fever, vaginal spotting and a general feeling of malaise. I went to see a doctor and was diagnose with a stomach virus. The doctor refused to listen to what I suspected and that was of being pregnant. I knew that I had sexual intercourse during the fertile period of my cycle. I had protected sex but there was an accident involving the condom. Meanwhile my symptoms progressed to general lethargy and vomiting. My partner believed the first doctor's diagnosis, however I did not because I knew that there was definitely something strange going on with my body. I waited another week and had another pregnancy test done and it came back positive. My partner was surprised but I was not.

My body went through many changes that could not be ignored. There was breast tenderness, sleepiness, and moderate morning sickness. As my pregnancy progressed my symptoms became more pronounced. I could not ignore the first fluttering of life. I could not ignore the funny taste that was constantly in my mouth.The fact that some foods made me sick and the regular vomiting. I know that every woman does not experience the same symptoms, however every woman has some physical and emotional change that cannot go unnoticed. Finally the growth of the abdomen, breast and sometimes other areas cannot be ignored. By this time most women have missed several months of menstruation periods. The kicking of the fetus at times can be very hard, making sleep uncomfortable and interrupted. The final stage of the pregnancy comes the bloody show, breaking of membranes and labor. Labor is something that is undescribable, it cannot be compared with any other pain. There is no denying this, you are pregnant.

As a labor and delivery nurse, I have had experiences where young teen girls come into the labor suites in labor and they are denying they ever knew they were pregnant. The were always accompanied by a very suprised mother. I believe the patient chose to deny their pregnancy and not inform their parents thinking that was the best course of action. I am sure that they had suspicions of thier conditions, but for what ever reasons chose to hide their pregnancies. Some of these teens were afraid, ignorant or in denial.

The other type of patient who claimed that they were unaware of their pregnancies were usually under-educated, obese or low socio-economic status women. This women would claim that she thought she had gas. As their nurse, I would question them about their missed periods. Their answers were always,"I had irregular cycles". This person was usually the type that thought if they did not acknowledge the pregnancy then it does not exist. This person was usually someone who could not take having another child. This was your typical welfare mom with more than four existing children.

Nothing is ever absolute, however I would like to say that I believe the majority of women has a conscious or unconscious awareness of her existing pregnancy. Some people believe the best way to handle stress is to ignore it. However in this case and in most other cases, it always come to light and has to be dealt with. And the birth takes place one way or another. If the mother is alive and in a normal mental state, she knows that birth has taken place.

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