Can I get pregnant and not tell the father?

Technically, the mother doesn’t have to tell the father if she’s expecting his child. That being said, the father does have rights if he is made aware and chooses to be involved. Sometimes you as parents might need to put your differences aside to co-parent smoothly.

What if I don’t know who the father of my baby is?

There are two types of paternity tests available. The first is non-invasive prenatal paternity testing, which involves sampling the DNA in your blood. This is then compared to DNA from a cheek swab taken from each potential dad. It can be carried out from seven weeks of pregnancy.

Do pregnant women have to inform the father of the child?

I am not aware of a paternity law in any state that would impose a legal duty on a pregnant woman to inform the would-be biological father of the child of her pregnancy. Moreover, I am not aware of any laws that would require a mother, after she has actually given birth to a child, to inform the biological father of the birth of the child.

Can a man file a paternity claim before paternity is established?

This does not legally establish that he is the father of the child, but a man may want to file this claim before paternity is legally established if the man is not able to find the mother or if the mother does not want to establish paternity. The protection of the Putative Father Registry is applicable for adoption purposes.

Why didn’t she tell him about her pregnancy?

She has decided not to tell him about the pregnancy based on his behavior when they were dating. He made comments that she was dirty because she wanted to have sex. (He was OK with them having sex, however.) He talked creepily about how he wanted to protect and save her.

Can a man claim to be the father of a child?

In Missouri (where I practice) the Department of Health maintains a Putative Father Registry which allows a man to claim he is the father of a child.