‘Game Of Thrones’: If Sansa Stark Is Pregnant, Shouldn’t She Be Showing By Now?
From the archive: published Jun 22, 2016, 10 years ago. Details may have changed since.
Ever since Ramsay Bolton mentioned to Sansa Stark that she couldn’t kill him now because he was a part of her in Episode 9 of Game of Thrones, the rumor that Sansa was pregnant has gathered more speed. But is she really pregnant? Let’s have a look at the logistics of Sansa bearing a child to Ramsay.
SPOILER ALERT: This article discusses HBO’s Game of Thrones. Please proceed with caution if you wish to avoid spoilers.
While Episode 9 of HBO’s Game of Thrones was all about the epic battle scene between the armies of Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) and Jon Snow (Kit Harington), there was a point where it became apparent Sansa could be pregnant to Ramsay. There have been a few indicators previously that suggested Sansa was pregnant. First of all, there was that publicity still for Season 6 that showed what could have been a baby bump, or just as easily her arms resting underneath her tunic. Then there was Sansa not liking the food served at Castle Black. Finally, there was that time in Game of Thrones when she was questioning Petyr Baelish (Aidan Gillen) about whether he knew just how sadistic Ramsay was before he suggested she marry him. While these all seem like good indicators setting Sansa up to be pregnant to Ramsay Bolton, there are also some indicators she isn’t pregnant.
The word of a Game of Thrones actor means very little these days after Kit Harington had to lie to fans about the outcome of the Season 5 finale in order for HBO to maintain the semblance of a cliffhanger between seasons. However, Vanity Fair did raise a valid point about Sansa and her potential pregnancy; if she were pregnant to Ramsay, wouldn’t it be obvious by now?
So how long have Ramsay and Sansa been together in Game of Thrones?
After their wedding night, Ramsay continues to force himself onto Sansa for some time which is hard to gauge. Sansa does manage to escape from Ramsay with Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) at the end of Season 5 of Game of Thrones by jumping off a high wall at Winterfell. If she were pregnant at this point, she could have easily miscarried, although it is not a one hundred percent certainty the jump would cause the loss of a child in the early stages of pregnancy. This event is the last time Sansa is placed in the same place as Ramsay until they meet up again in Episode 9 of Game of Thrones sixth season at the Battle of the Bastards. So just prior to this event is the latest point at which she could conceive a child to Ramsay.
Season 6 of Game of Thrones sees Sansa’s story pick up not long after her and Theon escape Winterfell as Ramsay’s men are still searching for them. During the time Sansa is being pursued she has to plunge into freezing water as well as put her body under extreme stress. Once again, it would be very easy at this point for her to miscarry. When Ramsay’s men track down Sansa and Theon, it is only thanks to Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) that they escape being returned to Ramsay and his wrath. Sansa makes the decision to flee to Castle Black and seek refuge with her half brother, Jon.
So how long does it take to get from Winterfell to Castle Black?
Even if Sansa and Theon had covered some ground between Winterfell and when they were confronted by Ramsay’s men, that is still a fair distance. It is hard to track down via a Google search just how long a horse can travel per day at a maintained rate over a distance of time. Many variables come into play including fitness levels of both the horses and the people. But, estimates claim a horse can travel anywhere between 30 to 60 miles per day. If this is the case, at the slowest, Sansa would have made it to Winterfell in roughly 22 days at a speed of 30 miles per day. If traveling at 60 miles per day, she would have reached Castle Black in approximately 11 days.
So Sansa arrives at Castle Black in Episode 4 of Season 6 of Game of Thrones. If she is only just pregnant to Ramsay, arriving at Castle Black could still place her as being within the first trimester of her pregnancy. However, when Sansa kills Ramsay at the end of Episode 9 of Game of Thrones, Ramsay indicates he knew Sansa was pregnant before she escaped Winterfell. If we are to use the rule of thumb used earlier with Walda, then Sansa had to be at least 12 weeks pregnant in order for Ramsay to make such an assumption. If that is the case, she would have been between somewhere between 13 to 17 weeks pregnant when she arrived at Castle Black.
But how long was it between Sansa arriving at Castle Black and the Battle of the Bastards?
What do you think, Sansa is pregnant or not? Let us know your thoughts and theories by commenting below!
Game of Thrones returns to HBO with the Season 6 finale Episode 10, entitled “The Winds of Winter,” on Sunday, June 26, at 9 p.m. ET. The official synopsis for Episode 10 is as follows.
“Season Finale. Cersei faces her trial.”
