when can i find out i am pregnant

[BrittLovesTim]

me and my boyfriend had sex wit out protection and we are scared i might be pregnant. but happy in another way..

how long can u wait til you go to the hospital and get a blood test done. i heard it was 48 hours cuz blood tests are accurate. but i need to know so i can get my mom to take me.

[Stardaze]

Did you already miss your period? or something.
I heard you had to wait like two weeks.
But i def don't know for sure.

[BrittLovesTim]

i heard you can go to the dr for a blood test after 24 hours. i need to know asap cuz i am freaked out..

[MadPoet]

You get the best results on the day or day after you've missed your period, at least if you're taking a pregnancy test. As for the 24 hours thing, I'm not positive but that doesn't sound right to me. I think you would have to wait at least a week.

If you haven't even had time to have any pregnancy symptoms and had sex not long ago, then I doubt there is any way of knowing.

[BrittLovesTim]

my parenting teacher told me 24 or 48 hours. so i rlly dont know.. i wanna find out asap tho

[hopefaithlove]

When did you have sex? When is/was your period due? Are you having any other symptoms?

[BrittLovesTim]

well i had sex like 3 days in a row wit out protection. and i have irregular periods. i go without a period about a week a month. so the other 3 weeks i go.. and i ALWAYS spot 4 or 5 days before i start back. and i still am not spotting. and i dont rlly know any of the syptoms..

[fightingtheway]

You honestly need to wait about 8 to 10 days before you get the blood test, because then you have the best chances of an accurate results. Before that the fetus isn't attached to the uterus... I would honestly suggest waiting about two weeks. but that is up to you.

[xxpaigiexx]

You have to at least wait until your missed period and if you're unsure about that I would do as suggested and wait 2 weeks.
If you're so afraid why did you have unprotected sex 3 times?

[hopefaithlove]

I agree with the others, two weeks will be most accurate.

If you end up not being pregnant, I highly recommend getting birth control, condoms, etc.

[BrittLovesTim]

i want a baby. and so does he.. i was only worried because i needed to know before it got to a point where i was so far along because like i would need to be put on vitiams and everything to make sure the baby gets everything it needs

[Nicolette]

Well I'd suggest what everyone else is saying, and if you're not I suggest you actually have a good sit down with your boyfriend and map out a fairly decent plan if you two are serious about having a child... babies cost lots of money, how will you two be financially, relationship wise, do you two already live together? All these things to weigh into consideration when taking the next step.

[LucyLouWho]

Originally Posted by BrittLovesTim

i want a baby. and so does he.. i was only worried because i needed to know before it got to a point where i was so far along because like i would need to be put on vitiams and everything to make sure the baby gets everything it needs

Keep in mind that the vitamins won't be everything it needs once it's born... Pregnancy is hard, but being committed to raising a child for 18 years is even harder. Financially, emotionally, and physically. Not cheap, lots of worries, and staying up all night.

But... There's nothing that anyone on the internet can say that will convince you not to have a baby, so you'll learn yourself. Just know that I've been there and now I've got a son... I love him to bits, but I wish we would have waited a couple more years before having him.

Anyway, if you're planning on getting a blood test, I'd wait at least a week. If you want to test with a home pregnancy test, wait two weeks or until you miss your period.

Good luck.

[OurLovesSublime]

Not trying to be rude but, my personal opinion is... stop trying to have a baby at 17. I know it's hard for anyone who hasn't experienced it first hand to take this advice but having a baby is the hardest thing you will ever go through, and almost impossible at your age. How do you plan on taking care of him? You need to think of your future child in this situation and not yourself. It's important to be financially and emotionally stable before trying for a baby. I'm 21 and am struggling to handle a newborn, juggling school work and a marriage, and worrying about finances and my son's well being.

I feel like a lot of teenagers don't look past pregnancy and the early months of having a baby. Pregnancy is not all about having the cute belly and feeling the kicks inside of you... it's uncomfortable and stressful. And after labor is all done, you have an 18+ year commitment to your little one to think about.

Just give it some thought before continuing to try.

[LucyLouWho]

Originally Posted by kristi87

I feel like a lot of teenagers don't look past pregnancy and the early months of having a baby. Pregnancy is not all about having the cute belly and feeling the kicks inside of you... it's uncomfortable and stressful. And after labor is all done, you have an 18+ year commitment to your little one to think about.

Exactly. The pregnancy will be done sooner than you think... And then you'll have a lifetime commitment.

Babies don't always sleep. They don't always occupy themselves. They don't just wake up for feeding and changing and then go straight back to sleep. They don't sleep through the night. Poopy diapers smell awful... A few have even made me gag. Babies don't allow you to go out with friends every weekend just because you need a break. They're not quiet just because you want them to be. They get fussy sometimes to the point where nothing that you do will console them... You just have to deal with a fussy baby because that's the kind of mood that s/he is in. And, trust me, no one is blessed with a magical baby who never cries, sleeps through the night from the time their born, or occupies themselves all the time. No one.

Having a baby is not all about dressing them up cute and showing them off to friends. It's not going to make your relationship with your boyfriend better... In fact, having a child can put stress on a relationship because you spend less time one on one with each other, you can't go out on dates all the time like you used to, you now both have one thing to think about: that baby. You can't just think about each other anymore. Both of your top priorities have to be that child.

I'm honestly not trying to be mean about this. I'm telling the truth. I was 17 when I got pregnant and had my son. I wouldn't trade him for the world, but I know that if I would have waited until after I finished college, etc. before having him, it would be so much easier.

Babies need formula, diapers, wipes, toys, somewhere to sleep, clothes, and so many other little things that you would never even think of until after you actually have a child and realize that you need it. And none of it is cheap. The formula that my son uses costs $21 a container... And he uses about two of those a week. He's only two months old and as he gets older, he's going to start using more and more. He goes through at least 1, sometimes 2 packs of diapers a week. That's around $20. Wipes... I'd say about $15/month... (By the way, we buy the cheap brands of these things... Store brand. Others are a LOT more expensive.)

I would estimate that we spend at least $60-70/week on our son. We also have car insurance to pay so we're able to take him back and forth the the doctor and such... Gas to put in that car... Rent so our son has a place to live.

Altogether, having this baby and taking care of him completely on our own, with no help is costing us around... $1,000/month. That leaves very limted money for my husband and I to live on. We have to eat too... If we want to have TV to watch, we have to pay that bill... Internet/phone... That has to be paid too. Heat... A baby has to keep warm.

It all adds up so quickly. If you have a baby shower, you won't even get a fraction of what you're going to need to raise this kid from newborn to adult. Pregnancy ends, babies turn into toddler... toddlers into kids... kids into teenagers, etc.

Definitely make sure you think this completely through and be sure you're ready to give up hanging out with friends, going out every weekend, sleeping in (or for longer than 3-6 hours, for that matter), or anything like that. The baby will be in charge around the house... S/he will tell you when it's time for them to be fed... When they don't want to sleep (even if you want them to). They will be the new boss around the house. Just think before you make this decision.

[iHEAVENn]

I agree with the above..
I have an almost 2 year old son... and there are days where he drives me up the wall.
(I'm a stay at home full time mother to him)

At age 2.. He uses about 80 diapers a month.. (That's about $40)
He uses 1 box of wipes ($15) a month.
He needs clothes every 3-4 months.. (Depending on what we buy that's any where from $35-$60)
He needs ACTUAL food now.. so figure about $40 of our shopping trip is just on his food needs for two weeks.

It's hard work. They cost a lot... and they do not always listen.

You're about the same age as my sister... luckily she listened to the advice I gave her, and she's decided to wait.

(Note that my husband makes a good living from his job.. and I am 22 [one of the oldest moms on the board] .. and we still have days where we find being parents hard emotionally/financially)

[TrustingThePain]

I wanted a baby so desperately when I was sixteen, and then, I got one, he was conceived on the pill, we had him when I was seventeen and my husband was sixteen, my entire pregnancy anthony lived in another state! After my son was born we moved in with his father, which was a disaster, ended up using our food stamps to pay for a house full of children who weren't ours to eat, I lived off of popcorn and spaghetti as I breast fed my son! We left there quickly and moved back in with my mother, for the three of us alone it cost 400 dollars to feed a breast feeding teenage mother a teen age boy and a growing baby diapers and wipes alone cost us 150 a month! Plus clothes as our baby rapidly grew, was about 45 a month, then we paid rent and partial utilities, my private school tuition, which I ended up flunking out of and loosing all that money, because I couldn't sleep when my son was colicy for the first 4 months of his life. Then we move out, paying 400 dollars a month for rent 80ish for electricity, 100ish for water, 15 for laundry at the mat. And then we found out I was pregnant with twins. They were born the month before he turned one... That tripled our money out and I was unable to work. We lost everything but the kids moved in with yet another family member who also charged rent and took our WIC for her kids!

We spent about 2000 dollars a month on our babies and we were doing okay, I had a job and so did my husband, who was also going to school. We decided to have another, the day I found out I was pregnant, I was fired and we got the news that Anthony's mother could no longer pay tuition for his college. He dropped out a semester from graduation. Also during this time my pregnant little sister moved in with us, and a few months later, the father.

Backed into a corner financially, we found the safest economic route, and my husband joined the military.

We have since moved out are doing well, adopting his cousins baby, but we have VERY little wiggle room. If I was to lose my disability from my last horrific knee surgery... We would sink again, we would have to take out loans, and probably move to emergency housing!

My point is you can do this if you are pregnant, but if you aren't, run for the nearest birth control and don't go off of it until at the very least you are out of college.

Oh and 10 days, and if you are trying to conceive you should have done research and you would have known that and the fact that you should be on prenatals before you conceive.