Posts by Paul Campbell8

Sandra Rodriguez said:Only nobodies hang out here.

Could be. 🤣

I need someone to explain why finding friends I won't just talk about the weather or where I bought my shoes with is such a struggle.

People call me complicated. Whatever. I’m not from New York City. Looking to chat with a woman. I don't do drama, and I'm not religious. 27 years old.

Most women I meet in real life either irritate me or feel fake. It's exhausting pretending to care about mindless small talk—like how much their hair or nails matter.

I listen to old-school trash metal and drum'n'bass. If that helps characterize me.

If there's a woman out there who thinks she might actually find me interesting, hit me up via DM.

I'm not a robot. I'm open-minded. I can offer support or some actual life advice if you ever need it.

Best,

Alright moms, here's a little something to brighten your day...

The unsolicited advice just doesn't stop once you're pregnant. Honestly, by the time my baby arrived, I'd reached my limit. It got to the point where I couldn't play nice anymore. I eventually had to tell everyone straight up to back off—that I know what's best for my kid, how I’m going to handle things, and if I actually needed a second opinion, I’d ask for one. Until then, they could leave me alone.

And then comes that look. That patronizing stare. Like, oh, she's just being hormonal. "She'll come to her senses. She doesn't really mean that." Hell yeah, I do.

The last thing that actually floored me was hearing some lady claim you’re supposed to lick a baby's eyes if they won't stop crying.

Kenneth Rodriguez9 said:The only thing driving me absolutely insane right now is the constant urge to pee. It’s relentless, and honestly, I’m exhausted. I feel like I know the layout of every single restroom better than my own living room—from the stalls at Starbucks to the ones in Target and Walmart, all the way to every single gas station on my commute from work to the house. And the worst part? I can't even get a decent night's sleep because I'm waking up every hour to run to the bathroom 😵
I swear, I’m going to spend about half of this entire pregnancy just sitting on the toilet 🙂🙂

Must be nice 😉

I’m near the end here, and as much as I love being pregnant, I’m up 3 or 4 times every single night just to pee. This has been happening since the halfway mark.
And it’s not just nighttime. For example: I’ll go to the bathroom, finish up, start brushing my teeth, and midway through—boom—need to go again. 😛 😁

Oh, one more thing:

When the urge hits hard and I can't get to a restroom immediately—like when I'm stuck in a long line at Walmart or somewhere crowded—if I happen to sneeze too hard? Oops, Paul Campbell8 had a little accident in her pants. Thank God for heavy-duty maternity pads. Just part of the pregnancy charm, I guess...

And yeah, I’ve already mentioned how much it drives me crazy when random or semi-famous idiots start grabbing at my stomach. That constant poking. Honestly, I don't remember signing any paperwork to become public property.

God, this sucks.

I can't touch anything sweet, and I definitely can't touch anything salty, otherwise I swell up like a balloon. I’ve been playing by the rules my whole pregnancy, but last week I finally cracked. I just wanted to devour a regular sandwich with some deli meat, and—surprise, surprise—I swelled right up. My OB-GYN basically chewed me out for eating processed stuff like salami and sausages for three days straight. Honestly, she's not wrong.

But now I’m stuck. I have no idea what to eat anymore. I am so sick of fruit, veggies, and grilled chicken or fish. I just want to eat like a normal person—something fried, something stuffed, maybe even some fries.😢

Whatever. Only 3.5 weeks left.

So, here we go again:

Apparently, my stomach is public property now. Great.

Keep your hands to yourselves!

I’m way too close to my due date to deal with this, but next time, I’m definitely getting that "DO NOT TOUCH THE BELLY" print on a T-shirt (pretty sure someone mentioned that idea here) and wearing it everywhere I go. 🙄

Old wives' tales, passed down from women who think they know everything.

"Don't go screaming and making a scene when you're in labor, or the nurses and the midwife will give you a hard time."

"Back in my day, I was eight months pregnant and still lugging around fifty-pound bags of mulch."

Samuel Wells said:Look, those few hours fly by, and then you’re just left with this gorgeous, clingy little thing.

Yeah, that’s what keeps me going. That's the whole point, right 😁?

The only thing is, judging by how much he's gurgling right now, my little guy isn't going to be doing much cuddling. He'll probably just be picking fights with us all day.😁

Don't try to scare me. I've already seen enough while lying in a hospital bed at around 28 weeks, where women are literally screaming through contractions 🙂

Honestly, it’s better if I don't know what's coming. It'll be easier to deal with that way.

OT: That question, "Is it moving?!" Yeah, obviously it's moving—it's a baby. Either that, or my hormones are just haywire and everything is getting on my nerves. But those kinds of questions really grate on me.

I've never actually asked a pregnant woman that. I just assumed the baby was moving. For God's sake.

So I’m standing in line at the grocery store, right? Out of nowhere, this random lady I’ve never even seen before just charges at me and shoves both hands right into my stomach. 🙂

I mean, what the hell... 🙂

If some Grandma hits me in the gut with her elbow on the subway, I’m pretty sure she’d end up needing a full set of dental implants.

That’s all well and good, thanks, but no thanks. Check back in two months. Before then, I won't be in any state to play host, and I’ll have way too much on my plate with my kid to deal with visitors. There's plenty of time for guests later. You've got to be blunt about stuff like this.

I've already made it clear that I don't want anyone dropping by during those first few days, or even weeks. If someone decides to ignore that and shows up anyway, they’re going to be pretty disappointed with the hospitality.

This is awful.

They used to get under my skin too, but I usually didn't let it bother me. Now? It feels different. This is about my kid and my own life...

Anyway, they’re telling me I need to be on bed rest for four or five days this Monday. Just because they feel like it—my OBGYN thinks it's necessary. But I'm not exactly asking for her opinion...

I just hope I don't lose my mind again. One of the nurses' relatives was lucky I’m pregnant and thinking about the baby, otherwise, she would have had it rough. I was that close to snapping.

The entire American healthcare system drove me insane today. Between the sheer rudeness of some staff and the total incompetence of others, it was a disaster.

Basically, three different departments couldn't get their act together regarding when I should show up for admission—today, tomorrow, or Monday. That little bit of mismanagement cost me seven hours sitting in that damn hospital. They also couldn't decide if I needed to stay for two days or four, not to mention they couldn't even agree on whether I needed to be admitted at all in the first place.

Aside from three specific things, today has been one of the worst days of my life.

I hit the 32-pound mark by week 23, so my doctor told me to reel it in. Since then, I’ve cut out the cookies, bread, chocolate—basically all the junk—and honestly, it’s working wonders. My belly is growing just fine, the baby is doing great, and I’ve actually dropped about 3 pounds in three weeks. I’m sticking to this like glue. I really don't need gestational diabetes complicating things.

But what really gets under my skin is when people won't take me seriously. If I say no, I mean no. For example, I’ll go over to a friend's house, tell them I don't want dessert, and they'll still cut a massive slice meant for three people and shove it right in front of me. Then, when I don't touch it, they act all offended. I don't get why people act like that.

It never occurs to me to force someone to eat something if they said they aren't interested.

It feels like a personal insult.

Plus, I'm constantly fighting the urge to binge. It’s a bit easier now that I keep thinking about how much it could hurt the baby; self-control is a lot simpler when there are stakes involved.

I guess I just need to vent because I have nobody else to talk to—nobody seems to take my dietary choices seriously.

BTW, my lower back is killing me today. Like, worse than ever. I had to lie flat on the floor for 15 minutes just to get some relief... I'm definitely not used to pain like this. 😬

People ask how much weight I've gained, then give me that worried, judgmental look when I tell them. But the second I turn down a donut or a greasy burger, suddenly they’re just as confused again.

Go screw yourselves.

Dammit 😢

I totally get wanting to celebrate a little while Mom is still in the hospital. It’s basically so she doesn't have to deal with a house full of guests once she finally gets home with the baby. Honestly, I’d much rather get this over with so I can focus on actual important stuff. That said, my husband and I both agree we don't need a three-day bender fueled by bourbon and endless parties.

But I have to side with Justin Allen81 here—this isn't anyone's business but yours.

Statements like "It's the tradition" drive me absolutely insane.

We're atheists, and my grandmother is basically ready to disown me because I won't have the baby baptized. Like, seriously, that's my call to make. It has nothing to do with anyone else. Then she hits me with the: "But how are you going to live like that?!"

Great.

And yeah, I miss drinking... To be honest, ever since I got pregnant, I've realized just how much I miss having a glass or two of wine. Or even just a good bitters cocktail to unwind. But hey, the sacrifice is worth it, obviously. 😁

Starting this thread because it might actually be the best one yet. 😁

I'm 26 weeks pregnant. And I am officially fed up.

The single worst question anyone can ask me is: "Is the baby alive?" Like, seriously? The heart started beating like 20 weeks ago. No, honey, until I feel movement, it’s not "alive."

It drives me insane having to explain basic biology to people who clearly missed middle school science...

Second thing: I was already 20 pounds overweight when I got pregnant. I didn't have morning sickness and my appetite was through the roof, so by week 21, I had gained about 32 pounds. My doctor at Mayo Clinic put me on a meal plan, and I've been sticking to it religiously since then.

But if I turn down a dessert, the interrogation starts. "Are you sure?" "Are you okay?" "Why won't you eat this?" Then I say no, thanks. They go, "Oh, come on, you know you can, you're pregnant..." So I politely explain I'm on a medical diet. Then comes the lecture about how I'm being "unreasonable," or how the baby will get sick because of my choices, or how I'll end up with gestational diabetes if I don't eat everything in sight. It's pure stupidity. Why can't people just accept "No thank you" and leave it at that?

Whew, rant over...

Then there's the comments: "Gosh, you're getting so big, you're going to be huge." "You won't be able to deliver like that." "Are you feeling alright?..."

And the random strangers touching my stomach. Can I? Can I?! No, you cannot.

Or: "Why are you taking all those supplements and vitamins? We didn't have that stuff back in my day." Well, we have it now. Deal with it.

Hope I didn't overwhelm you guys. Just needed to vent.

Don't even get me started on names. We've picked one, and that's final. It's my kid, my husband's kid, and we're the ones deciding the name. Period.

When I told one of my close friends I was having a boy, she looked disappointed and said she wished it was a girl. Honestly, why do you care?