Posts by Dana Brown8

I have my ultrasound on January 17th, which should finally settle the gender question. Everyone is already rooting for a boy since we have a daughter at home. Honestly, they were all cheering until I lost my temper and shut them down—told them we really don't care what it is. If it’s a boy, we’ll have a pair; if it’s a girl, Dad will just be outnumbered by women. So where does that leave us?
It’s infuriating how quickly I get winded after the slightest effort. It feels like I can't even catch my breath, and even sneezing feels like a sharp jab to the gut. I remember this happening during my first pregnancy too.
And I can't wrap my head around how my appetite can flip from "completely stuffed" to "starving wolf" in under five minutes.
By the way, everyone around me won't stop pushing name suggestions. My husband and I have pretty much agreed on something, but there’s always someone chiming in with a comment or mentioning some acquaintance with that name who was apparently a nightmare. It's exhausting.
It also irritates me how I can fly off the handle over nothing in a split second. It's a mess.

Whatever you listen to during pregnancy is nothing compared to the advice they throw at you once the baby actually arrives. 🙂

Peter Price3 said:A few days ago, I found out I’m expecting a little girl. It’s my first baby, and honestly, the comments have been relentless. People just chime in with things like, "Oh, well, at least let her be healthy and happy," as if that's the end of the conversation.
Or they start implying there will be a third one soon, or that you need to "try again" for a boy. They even go as far as saying things like, "Your husband would definitely prefer a son."
I mean, seriously. First of all, nobody actually asks for my opinion, and second, they just blurt things out without any filter or common sense... it’s incredibly rude. I have absolutely no desire to get into an argument with fools; I simply want to say that as long as she is healthy and thriving like her mother, I will be the happiest woman alive. It really bothers me how in our society, there's still this lingering idea that a son is the ultimate prize while a daughter is somehow secondary.

Another thing that drives me up the wall is when people comment on baby names. Again, no one asks what I think, yet everyone feels entitled to weigh in. It feels like the older generation would be perfectly content if every single child was named Anthony, George, Edward, Mary, or Kate... and when they reach that level of predictability, I lose my patience and feel compelled to snap back.🙂🙂🙂

I almost lost it this Sunday over name suggestions. For starters, we don't even know the gender yet, and besides, my husband and I are the ones deciding. We share what we like, and then the comments start... "Oh, I know someone with that name and they're terrible!" Who cares? If we choose it, it's our choice. You raise your own kids and pick whatever you want. Am I being too sensitive??

copperheron18 said:Ugh, I feel you. This is my second pregnancy too, and the commentary is identical.
My bump was visible practically from day one, and there's a constant stream of remarks about how big it is or how huge the baby must be. Since I have friends around me who are pregnant with their firsts and we look roughly the same size, there’s this endless cycle of bewildered stares and questioning...
Then comes that irritating lecture about how it’s my second time around, how my skin isn't as elastic as it used to be, blah blah blah. It’s accompanied by those pitying looks that seem to imply, "Oh, don't bother making excuses, just admit you've put on weight." 🤣
Anyway, I'm nearly 24 weeks along now, I've gained a significant amount of weight, and the belly is going to be massive by the time I deliver...
Given that I ended up even thinner after my first pregnancy than I was before, I'm telling you: don't let it get to you. I'll be back to my usual self eventually, even if I'm living on nothing but crackers and water, so there won't be much long-term enjoyment in staring at this extra weight. 😛

I started this pregnancy a pound lighter than the first one, but whatever—the bump just popped out, especially in the last two weeks. It’s infuriating how *everyone* is obsessed with my weight. That was the number one question during my first pregnancy too; everyone acted shocked that I only gained 14 pounds instead of 20+. (I usually struggle with weight gain, so I expected more, but I was pleasantly surprised.)
Nobody has bothered to ask, "How are you doing?" (except for my mom 😍). Instead, it's always that stunned, "Oh my god, you're already so big, how much weight have you put on?" 🙂
Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, the baby is developing perfectly, thanks for asking, okay?
God, this is such a high-stress period. If I snap at someone even slightly, I'm the one getting blamed because of "hormones." There's no winning. Grrr !!! (Feeling a little better now.)

Since this is my second pregnancy in a pretty short window—gave birth barely over a year ago—it’s driving me crazy how everyone keeps commenting on how much of a bump I’m already showing at just 13 weeks.
SO WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO ABOUT IT?? I know I won't be fitting into my jeans anymore, and I actually went out to buy maternity pants yesterday, but let's face it: I've always been built in a way where everything goes straight to my stomach. And honestly, I'll be the one dealing with the postpartum weight loss, not these busybodies.
I'm also feeling a bit on edge because I've been stuck with a cold, sinus pressure, and a headache, so I'm trying to come up with a clever comeback for these comments. Any suggestions? 😁

wanderinghawk said:🤣🤣😂😂
I have one daughter too, and I'm hoping for another girl this time...😍
A week before I gave birth, my neighbor asked me what I was having. I told her, "A girl." She just looked at me, patted me on the head, and said, "And what of it?"☕ 🙂

I also have a daughter, and we aren't even sure what we're waiting for yet, but if anyone drops a negative comment... 🙂

I honestly don't get people like that. We wanted two kids. Gender doesn't matter. For my first girl, I only ever got one snarky comment along the lines of, "Well, what good is she?" It caught me so off guard I didn't even know how to respond. I spent the rest of the day wondering what I should have said. 🙂

To be honest, this pregnancy is nothing like my first. I feel completely drained; I can barely move. The heartburn has already started, the nausea was a new experience since I didn't have it the first time, I've broken out in a rash, my hair is a mess, and my skin is parched. It's a disaster. Based on how differently I'm carrying this time, I'm starting to suspect it might be a boy.

wanderinghawk said:I second this. I'm nauseous whether I'm hungry or not, whether I eat or don't eat, whether I drink something or don't... 🙂🙂 It's exhausting.
It's annoying having to carry around little bags for vomiting in my purse. 🙂
It's annoying when I feel like I'm throwing up even though my stomach is empty and nothing comes up. 🙂
Come to think of it, everything is just irritating right now. 😂

I don't actually vomit, but that constant sensation in the back of my throat is exhausting. Sometimes I wonder if it would be easier to just let it happen so I could finally get some peace.

So, I’m grabbing coffee with a friend—I’m only seven weeks along—and she decides this is the perfect moment to recount her second pregnancy experience. She tells me how her water broke at six months and she spent the rest of the term stuck in the hospital. Thankfully, everything turned out fine and she has a healthy little girl now.
I actually told her four separate times to please spare me the horror stories, especially since I'm just starting out, but she simply wouldn't listen. She finishes her grim tale only to hit me with: "Well, I'm sure that won't happen to you." 🙂
The nausea is driving me crazy, and I’m hungry all the time, yet I have absolutely no idea what I actually want to eat.
By the way, I think I'll handle this pregnancy differently than my first; back then, I was much more polite about people's unsolicited advice.
This time around, I’ll probably be a bit more grouchy, seeing as the "you should" and "you shouldn't" comments have already started rolling in.
It’s enough to drive a person mad... and we're barely even getting started. 🙂

graniteseal29 said:I was honestly caught off guard by all the literature out there for pregnancy and new moms. You’ve got the usual suspects, like those "week-by-week pregnancy guides" or the "your baby's first year" manuals. But this one book, "The Modern Mom's Guide," just absolutely set me off. I managed to get through maybe two pages before I decided to just take it right back to the library.

What was it about the book that got under your skin so much? 😁
I used "What to Expect When You're Expecting"—we bought it during my first pregnancy and it’s actually quite solid. It cost us a fortune back then, but it was worth every penny. It’s helpful to track what’s happening with the baby day by day. Plus, it’s packed with photos 😁

I’m six weeks pregnant with my second child—my first is already 14 months old—and the unsolicited advice has already started:
- "Don't catch a cold."
- "You need to eat more since you're eating for two (and you'll deal with the weight later)."
- "You can't overexert yourself" (as if I haven't mentioned I have a toddler running circles around me). 😁
And that’s just the beginning. Only 34 weeks to go. 🙂
Personally, I love being pregnant; my first pregnancy was actually quite peaceful, but these busybodies are already wearing me down.