Missed period positive pregnancy test but no symptoms

No pain doesn’t necessarily mean no gain when you’re pregnant, especially not in the first trimester. Lots of moms — and I was among them — are lucky enough to sail through early pregnancy without any of the usually uncomfortable suspects. Except instead of feeling lucky (whoa — dodged that bullet!) we tend to feel…freaked out. After all, isn’t morning sickness a must-have? Isn’t fatigue supposed to leave you with that “just run over by a truck” feeling?  Wouldn’t my breasts be super-size, and super tender? Where are those twinges, that tugging? Why am I peeing as per usual? Why does nothing hurt?

For me, as a young first-time mom-to-be who didn’t even realize she was pregnant until I was closing in on week 8, it was actually not having pregnancy symptoms that led to my most pervasive pregnancy symptom: worry that if I didn’t feel pregnant, I couldn’t be pregnant. Something must have happened to the baby after that positive pregnancy test. Or maybe it was all a big mistake, that pregnancy test, that doctor confirmation.

But that was also before I wrote What to Expect When You’re Expecting and discovered this truth: You don’t have to feel pregnant to be pregnant. Every mom and every pregnancy, like every baby that follows, is different. Some women get hit by every pregnancy symptom in the book (and the app, and the videos) — and maybe a few more symptoms you can only find by Googling (don’t do it!). Some get hit hard by a few, some tussle with one or two. Some find symptoms come and go (you’re peeing up a storm on Tuesday, have a headache that won’t quit on Wednesday, you feel a wave of nausea on Thursday, and Friday it’s like you’d swear you weren’t pregnant at all). Some moms are so in tune to their bodies, they notice even pregnancy’s most subtle changes, others second-guess everything they feel — or don’t feel (were my breasts bigger yesterday than today?). Or they’re so busy, they’re used to being tired. Or they’ve always peed frequently. Or they’ve never slept well. Or they’ve always been big sleepers. Or constipation’s been the story of their lives.

To confuse the picture even more, second pregnancies can present a completely different set of symptoms — debilitating nausea and vomiting in the first, then, not a queasy moment.

The best indicator of pregnancy, at least early on, is one that doesn’t show up on symptom lists: a positive pregnancy test (or if you’re like my daughter Emma, who couldn’t be too sure, 12 positive pregnancy tests). A positive test is always more likely to be reliable than a negative one, especially in those too-early-to-call days before you miss a period. Better still: an early ultrasound that shows a fetal heartbeat — one of the best ways of confirming a viable pregnancy and an EDD (estimated due date).

Even the most common pregnancy symptoms — besides a missed period, that is — aren’t universally experienced. Not morning sickness. Not food cravings. Not even noticeably larger breasts, at least not right away. Some moms are late bloomers when it comes to pregnancy symptoms, some have symptoms so mild that they’re easily missed. Even that missed period isn’t a given– I conceived without having a period for several years, and a few women actually continue having something resembling a regular period months into pregnancy.

Until you start hearing the beautiful music of your baby’s heartbeat at your monthly checkups (usually around weeks 10 to 12, though you may be able to hear it as early as 6 weeks via ultrasound), or start feeling your baby’s first butterfly-like movements, or start seeing a bulge around your middle that seems more legit belly than bloat, it’s really easy not to “feel” pregnant. Even if you’re heaving over the toilet, but especially if you’re not. That’s normal, and you’re definitely not alone. But it’s also temporary. There will come a time when you’ll have no doubts about feeling pregnant, and you’ll actually look back longingly at a time when you did (and when you could see your feet, and when they fit into your favorite shoes). Even then, don’t be surprised if your pregnancy symptoms buck the message board trends – your pregnancy, after all, is one of a kind.

If you’re stressed about any pregnancy symptom or a lack of symptoms, or if symptoms seem to disappear suddenly, don’t just sit there and worry – check in with your doctor or midwife for reassurance. That’s what they’re there for.

In the meantime, you can consider yourself lucky for feeling so good – and you can also consider yourself pregnant. One other thing to consider: symptoms you may have seemed to escape may be just around the corner (or not!).

Wishing you a continued easy pregnancy – and a happy one, no matter what!

Hugs,

Heidi

Help Me, Heidi! is a weekly advice column in which What to Expect creator Heidi Murkoff answers your most pressing pregnancy and parenting questions. She’s tackling the stuff you are desperate to know right now — so if you have a question, ask Heidi here or on Facebook and she might answer in an upcoming column. (Not sure if Heidi's answered one of your questions? Check out the rest of the columns here.)

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