Basic Trope: A woman doesn't realize she's pregnant until late into her pregnancy.
- Straight: Alice suspects that she's pregnant, but only after gaining 20 pounds, craving unusual foods and feeling movement in her stomach. She goes to the doctor, where she's told that she's seven months along. This after she doesn't realize she missed several periods, had bouts of Morning Sickness and went through mood swings.
- Exaggerated:
- Alice doesn't realize she's pregnant until her water breaks.
- Alice's baby bump is obvious to everyone except for Alice, even when she reaches her third trimester.
- Alice never realizes that she's pregnant, even when she's overdue.
- Downplayed: Alice mistakes a slight baby bump for stubborn belly fat; it's only then that she discovers she's five months pregnant.
- Justified:
- Alice's Morning Sickness is her only prominent symptom, but the worst of it comes while a conveniently-timed stomach virus is going around.
- Alice's pregnancy mood swings come and go during an already emotional time in her life.
- Alice's cravings are not unusual, or she happens to crave the same foods that Bob or her friends like.
- Alice is overweight, and she doesn't notice her baby bump because she's apple-shaped.
- Having previously been told that Alice and/or her husband Bob is infertile, Alice refuses to believe that she's pregnant.
- Alice thought that she and/or Bob used protection when the former conceived.
- Inverted:
- Alice realizes she's pregnant the moment she conceives.
- Alice knows she's pregnant, but she keeps it a secret from everyone she knows until she can't hide it anymore. She's so good at it that even her husband Bob doesn't suspect a thing.
- Gender Inverted: Bob is pregnant, but he's in denial about it even with all the obvious symptoms.
- Subverted:
- Alice experiences the symptoms of pregnancy, but her doctor tells her the she's not pregnant.
- Alice is told that she isn't having a baby.
- Alice is asked if she knows that she's pregnant, to which she says she does.
- Alice is complimented on her pregnancy, but she says she's just fat.
- Double Subverted:
- But then Alice gets a second opinion from a doctor who confirms that she is pregnant.
- She's actually having twins.
- But after saying she does, she asks herself, "Wait, am I?"
- She's just making an excuse and didn't want the person to know she was caught off guard by discovering her pregnancy so late.
- Parodied:
- Alice has a son, but she doesn't realize she was pregnant him until he's ready to become a father.
- Alice becomes pregnant with octuplets, but she doesn't discover this until she's congratulated for giving birth to eight healthy babies.
- Alice has a full-term baby bump throughout all nine months of her pregnancy, but she fails to notice until she goes into labor.
- All babies are born from women who give birth without ever realizing that they were pregnant.
- A story arc revolves around Alice being pregnant for several years with a Running Gag of her brushing off people trying to tell her about it.
- Zig-Zagged: Alice thinks she may be pregnant, but she isn't sure because several tests and doctors are giving her conflicting results. She also shops for maternity clothing just in case.
- Averted: Alice confirms her pregnancy within a few weeks of her missing her period.
- Enforced: The producers want women to detect early pregnancy symptoms or spin a cautionary tale for those decide to wait too long to announce that they're pregnant.
- Lampshaded: "Congratulations, Alice! Wait, you're due next month? You don't have a lot of time until the baby comes!"
- Invoked: Bob knows that Alice is pregnant, so he makes subtle hints such as buying maternity clothes, asking her what she craves and furnishing a new room for the baby.
- Exploited: Bob suspects that Alice is pregnant and tests her secretly. When it turns up positive, he keeps it around just in case she's oblivious about it.
- Defied:
- Alice uses pregnancy tests and visits her gynecologist after each time she has sex.
- Alice reads guidebooks on pregnancy just so she knows what will happen if she does conceive.
- Discussed: Alice asks Bob if it's possible to become pregnant without any symptoms, aside from weight gain and cravings.
- Conversed: Alice and Bob witness a full-term woman announcing that she's pregnant. They then talk about whether she just realized this and if she experienced any symptoms beforehand.
- Deconstructed:
- Alice didn't allow herself enough time to prepare for the upcoming arrival, and she's still rushing to get things done by the time she gives birth.
- Alice is seven months pregnant and only realizes it when she goes into labor. The baby, who is born premature, requires special care.
- Reconstructed:
- Thankfully, Bob, among others, are there for Alice and help her take care of her baby. She also treats this as a learning experience in case she expects a second child.
- The baby makes it, and Alice sees this as a sign to take better care of herself while pregnant. Her next child, if she decides to have one, will have a better chance of avoiding birth defects.
- Played for Laughs: Alice has all the symptoms of a pregnancy, but when asked about it, she says that she ate a baby.
- Played for Drama: Alice doesn't realize she's pregnant until she miscarries.
Months after conception, the Late Pregnancy Realization is coming.
