Posts by Amy Green4

analogscout66 said:So, my coworker had her blood pressure spike to 300 yesterday!!! 🙂

We were just chatting away when she suddenly looks me up and down and goes, "Gosh, you've definitely filled out, you look healthy!"
Now, let's be clear—I’m currently 10 weeks pregnant, and I’ve already put on, can you believe it, 2 pounds. And this is a twin pregnancy... so I just gave her this blank stare and said, "Oh, please don't start. I've gained 2 pounds, and half of that is just my chest growing by two cup sizes and the other half is the bump that's already starting to show..." But she just kept going, insisting, "No, really, you've definitely widened out in the hips and backside too!" She spent five whole minutes trying to convince me how much wider I've gotten!

Honestly, even if it were true, does anyone actually care? After nearly three years of struggling, hoping, praying every single month, and finally going through IVF... does it really matter to me if my hips have widened by 3, 5, or 10 centimeters??? 🙄 Especially when I'm carrying twins!!! And the thing is, she knows everything I went through to get here...

I can't wait until I've gained at least 35 pounds; I'm dying to see what she has to say then. 😁

She definitely understands the reality of this, especially considering how much those fertility medications can impact a woman's body during the IVF process. Like I mentioned before, some people can be incredibly cruel. 😁
It breaks my heart when people call pregnant women "fat"; there really is nothing more pathetic than that kind of judgment. ☕
They stare at your stomach and feel entitled to label you like that. Because apparently, if people don't realize it, when a woman starts rounding out during pregnancy, it must be because she’s just lying around eating all day and her belly is just from drinking too much beer. 🙂

The interrogation has officially begun, with everyone crowding around me to ask, "Have you had the baby yet?", "What are you still waiting for?", or "When do you think you'll finally go into labor?"
On top of all that, there are still those persistent individuals who seem to be holding out hope that I’ll eventually give birth to a boy to somehow "correct" my previous "mistake."
Honestly, people can be incredibly cruel.

slypuma said:Hey, my period is already two weeks late, but I took a test a week ago and it came back negative. My breasts are pretty sore—they feel heavy and firm—and I'm dealing with constant heartburn. Honestly, I have no clue what to think anymore... anyone else dealt with something similar?

I’ve definitely been there, though in my case, it usually turns out to be a hormonal imbalance.
I'm not sure what your typical cycle looks like or how your hormones usually behave, but things like high stress levels or even traveling to a different climate can throw everything off; I know that moving to a new city once completely disrupted mine.

If the home test was negative but you still have these lingering doubts, the most reliable way to get a definitive answer would be to go in for a blood test.

hiddendriver34 said:It honestly drives me absolutely crazy how nobody ever offers up their seat on the subway. I take the train back and forth to work every single day, and some evenings, I am just completely wiped out by the time I get home. Just the other day, this elderly lady with a cane actually offered me her spot—she sounded pretty annoyed about it too, which honestly made sense since no one else had even blinked. There was one afternoon where every single seat was taken, and there was only one person standing: a pregnant woman, of course.

I’ve noticed that people generally don't show much empathy toward pregnant women.
I personally never let anyone cut in front of me in line, and I tend to avoid public transit altogether because of it. I once had this experience at a Target where I was waiting in the priority lane reserved for pregnant women and those with disabilities, and this lady on crutches tried to push ahead, but the man in front of her just brushed her off, acting as if her disability didn't give her any special treatment over the rest of us.
If you don't stand up for yourself, nobody is going to acknowledge your situation. That is just the kind of society we live in now.

I even had a terrifying moment on the sidewalk recently when a kid, maybe nine or ten years old, saw that I was pregnant. He was so preoccupied playing roughly with his friend—while his dad was shouting at him to settle down—that he lunged straight toward my stomach with everything he had. I managed to throw my hands up just in time to protect myself and yelled at him, but the kid didn't even flinch; he just kept running right past me. His parents just glared at me, and in that moment, I felt like I could have slapped everyone in sight. People have truly become heartless. 😠

Some gems from my sister-in-law:
- When you're pregnant, you should just live your life however you want instead of constantly catering to the baby, especially when it comes to what you eat and drink.
- It honestly doesn't matter which hospital you choose for delivery.
- She keeps giving me these intense, play-by-play accounts of her friends' births—complete with graphic details about stitches and uterine ruptures—and I’m just sitting here waiting for her to start providing photographic evidence.

The funny thing is, she considers herself some kind of pregnancy and childbirth expert, despite the fact that she has never actually been pregnant or even given birth. You have to admire that level of confidence, I suppose. 😍

Then there were those precious pearls from my cousin, who had the audacity to ask why I’m still busy cooking and running around, and if I’ve gotten, well, "huge."
I just looked at her and said, "Honestly, honey, I'm so immobile and overweight that they'll probably have to bring me into the delivery room on a forklift."
She didn't have anything left to say after that.

My little one has suddenly become quite active during nap time.

In response to that, I received the following "advice":
1. Have a drink yourself, because it might help sedate the baby.
2. Feed them some mashed bananas; apparently, people used to put those in formula to keep kids calmer.

I feel like I am constantly surrounded by idiots.😍

Earlier today, a woman approached me to ask about my outfit, and when I gave her an answer, she just looked at me with this profound sense of pity and sighed, "Oh, well, it doesn't matter since you're a girl." 🙂
It isn't exactly the first time I’ve encountered that kind of reaction.
There still seems to be a segment of people out there clinging to the hope that somehow the ultrasound was wrong and they’re actually having a boy.
They can't seem to resist making a comment whenever the opportunity arises.

I find myself wondering exactly when it became acceptable to view daughters as somehow less desirable or less valuable than sons. 😕

Another thing I constantly deal with is the unsolicited commentary on why I haven't gained weight. There is this pervasive assumption that if a pregnant woman doesn't put on at least twenty pounds, she’s being unhealthy or essentially starving the baby.
The prevailing logic is that you absolutely have to force yourself to eat everything in sight just to satisfy the idea of "eating for two." 🙂

Sam Patel61 said:But when the OB-GYN insists on an ultrasound and my bank account is currently sitting at zero? To make matters worse, my primary care physician is out on vacation... 🙂

When you go in for a blood test, there's no out-of-pocket cost, and honestly, it’s far more reliable if you find yourself doubting a home pregnancy test.
In my own experience, those home tests have always been spot on for me; I remember taking one the very first day my period was late, and the line appeared within just a few seconds.
If your doctor won't give you a referral, then you're basically stuck waiting for an ultrasound appointment to confirm everything. Just hang in there. 😁

Sam Patel61, if you find yourself skeptical about the results of the test, your most reliable course of action would be to have your blood drawn.
You can easily arrange for this by getting a referral from your gynecologist.

Things have simply crossed a line and aren't normal anymore. 😠

Betty Harris15 said:I'm not sure about therapy yet. I should probably dig through some actual books first before rushing straight to a psychiatrist.
It just sucks feeling like I'm throwing money down the drain on this nonsense. It's an impulse I can't control. My life is a total mess right now.

What do you mean by a bad character? 😲
When you consider how many people attempt to solve their problems through food, you have to admit that there is an underlying issue here. You are actually quite brave for being vocal about this. In my experience, the most common excuses I hear from people who overeat involve blaming physical issues like bone structure or metabolism—people will believe just about anything to avoid the truth.🙄
Having a child won't help you lose weight, at least not until you address the mental hurdles you're facing.
Regarding mental health professionals, you shouldn't necessarily have to pay out of pocket; as far as I know, you can just get a referral from your primary care physician and see a specialist. Perhaps visiting once would give you some much-needed perspective.
The hardest part of life is feeling isolated while trying to navigate these struggles alone. Binge eating often goes hand-in-hand with depression or bulimia, which is why so many people eventually decide to seek professional support.
Regardless of the path you take, you need to seek help instead of staying silent and struggling internally. This is your life, after all, and if you don't learn to value yourself, it becomes very difficult for anyone else to do so.🙂

I have never been a proponent of dieting, particularly those restrictive regimens that feel more like punishment than health management. In my experience, true wellness comes from a much more balanced, intuitive approach to daily habits. I find it far more effective to simply be mindful of what you put on your plate and to prioritize staying active throughout the day. Rather than obsessing over calorie counts, I suggest focusing on portion control and being more intentional about limiting processed sugars and heavy fats. It isn't about deprivation; it’s about making better choices most of the time.
I suspect the primary reason most people struggle to stick with any dietary regimen is that they are attempting to use food as a temporary substitute for the deeper sense of affection and emotional fulfillment that might be missing from their lives. In many ways, eating becomes a fleeting placeholder for the genuine connection and comfort we all crave.
When life throws you a curveball and you find yourself feeling miserable, frustrated, or just plain on edge—though there are those rare, fleeting moments when things actually go right—your first instinct is almost always to turn toward food.
It all begins within the mind, particularly regarding how we choose to perceive our own identity.
The real question we need to address is why you are actually overeating—and please, don't just give me that surface-level answer about being constantly hungry. 😉I find myself wondering what that experience actually signifies to you—the act of intentionally denying yourself food right when you feel the need most.
If nutrition serves as a tool that helps you navigate the day, keeps your nerves steady, and bolsters your overall emotional well-being, then denying yourself that sustenance feels like a reckless gamble. I have found that when you deprive yourself of what your body actually needs to function, it almost always backfires; you either end up spiraling into an uncontrollable binge later on, or you find yourself trapped in that frustrating cycle where the weight you worked so hard to lose comes rushing right back.
It feels like you’re just spinning your wheels in place, and every single time you fail to make progress, that sense of frustration starts to build and weigh even heavier on you.

James Ramirez10 As I was reflecting on this earlier, I found myself thinking about how much weight we tend to place on certain perspectives. It reminds me of a conversation I had once while sitting in a quiet corner of a coffee shop in Seattle, where the topic of individual agency came up quite unexpectedly. There is a certain gravity to these discussions that often gets lost in the noise of modern debate. When someone makes a point like this, it forces you to slow down and really consider the underlying logic, rather than just reacting to the surface level of the argument. It’s a measured way to approach things, even if it feels a bit heavy at times.
I am not entirely sure what you intended to convey with that brief message, but I am here and ready to engage whenever you have something more substantial to discuss. The issue isn't actually about the food itself, but rather... There is a profound depth to what food actually represents in our lives, far beyond mere sustenance or nutrition. I often find myself reflecting on how a simple meal can act as a bridge to our history and our deepest connections to one another. When we sit down to eat, we aren't just fueling our bodies; we are participating in a silent language of culture and memory that shapes who we are. It is much like the way a well-composed piece of music or a classic novel can evoke a specific moment in time, pulling us back to a sense of belonging that is hard to articulate. Food carries the weight of our traditions and the essence of our shared identity, serving as a constant, grounding force in an ever-changing world., That is the first hurdle we need to clear.

👍

I find myself constantly being drained by selfish and arrogant individuals—people who operate under the delusion that wealth and power grant them divine status, allowing them to trample over anyone in their path. I see so much cruelty directed at those who are more vulnerable, alongside a pervasive sense of hypocrisy and deceit. Then there are those who do nothing but sit around complaining, lacking any genuine desire to stand up and actually change the status quo.
It feels as though these traits are becoming increasingly common among the people here in America.

I have finally worked my way through almost the entire series, including all the adventures of Confessions of a Shopaholic, though I still haven't quite gotten around to reading "Confessions of a Shopaholic and the Baby."
I honestly find these stories to be absolutely wonderful. 👍
I am planning on heading out to catch a movie later today.
However, I can't help but feel like they took quite a bit of liberty with the source material when they adapted it for the big screen. 😕

Rachel Wright44 said:So, I’ve been seeing this guy for about a month now. The whole long-distance thing is a bit much, but honestly, it wasn't even the distance that was getting to me—everything felt totally fine until the day before yesterday. We met online, and we basically talk non-stop every single day because, well, conversation is really all we have right now. He’s mentioned coming out to visit me in Chicago a few times, but there’s always some random excuse holding him back, and when I suggested maybe meeting halfway—you know, somewhere in Indy or something—it was always the same old story... just "can I wait another week?" and I guess I just brushed it off.
As a person, he’s actually perfect for me. He’s super attentive, and we’re either texting or on the phone constantly. I’ve fallen hard, and since we spend so much time talking, we’ve gotten really intimate emotionally, you know?
But lately, I’ve just been such a wreck—super irritable because things with my family are messy, plus work has been a nightmare—and then he just... he completely set me off. He started venting about how much the distance is killing him, even though I’m doing my best to comfort him and remind him that we can power through this next year until he finally makes the move to the city. I wanted to have a real, serious heart-to-heart with him, but things just escalated too fast, and I ended up snapping that I just needed some peace and quiet—not that I wanted to break up, obviously, I just didn't need him adding his whining about the miles between us to my plate. He totally took it the wrong way, though. I called and texted like crazy after, feeling like a complete idiot, but he just went silent. Then, at like 3:00 AM, he sends this message saying he loves me more than I realize and that he can't stop loving me, and that he feels the same way I do.
So, yesterday morning, I sent a text asking if he could call when he had a second, but nothing. Nothing! I spent the whole day calling and messaging, and still radio silence. And today? I sent another one, and... crickets. Absolutely nothing.
I’m a total mess right now, just spiraling and overthinking everything. Is he seeing someone else? Was I just some temporary distraction for him? Because if so, what was all that attention and those deep, emotional late-night talks all for?
I’m honestly lost on how to handle this. It’s not like I can just hop in my car and drive across state lines to his front door right now, though, I don't know, if he keeps ghosting me, I might actually consider it in a few days.
I really need some advice because I'm officially out of ideas.🤷

First off, please forgive me for trimming down your post a bit.🙂
The parts that really jump out at me are those bolded sentences.
Based on what you’ve described, either you two are incredibly young, where the relationship is purely built on verbal connection without any physical depth, or this guy is being quite immature and is essentially playing games with you.
Something about his story just doesn't ring true to me.
By the way, how many times have you actually seen each other over these past few months, and has everything truly remained strictly verbal, without even a kiss or anything more?
It is perfectly natural that you are feeling distraught; anyone in your shoes would feel the same. You show him that you care, yet he keeps finding every possible excuse to avoid seeing you, and when you try to have a serious conversation about it, he either goes silent or gets defensive for no reason.
And to claim he loves you after only a month...😲
I don't want to be pessimistic, but the situation and his behavior don't give me much confidence.
Try your best to reach out to him. I realize it might be difficult since you mentioned the distance is significant (how far apart are you two, exactly?), but it would be best if you could manage it so you can talk things through.
His reaction will tell you everything you need to know.
He might have a legitimate reason, but if he does, his way of handling it is still incredibly foolish.
If he continues to act this way, you should seriously consider whether there is a future for this relationship.
The truth is, if you care about someone and believe their claims of love, you don't ignore the other person or look for reasons to avoid them.
I might sound a bit too idealistic here, but I believe that when two people are truly on the same wavelength, when they share genuine feelings and honest intentions, and both are willing to put in the work to sustain the bond, then nothing should stand in their way—not even the distance.

This is absolutely appalling.
Comments like these are completely spineless and I am honestly at a loss for words; I find it hard to believe that this kind of rhetoric is even tolerated in our society.
It is a direct insult to every survivor who has endured sexual assault, to the immense pain they’ve carried, and to the lifelong traumas they have had to navigate.
While I recognize that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I don't even know how to categorize this; it transcends being merely extreme—it is pathological and profoundly callous.
It is truly disheartening that anyone could hold such a worldview. 👎

spineless said:why is penetration considered such a horror now, when sex is inherently pleasurable and women can experience orgasm during an assault? Not to mention how they dress just to provoke men and then act surprised when things happen.
I've heard people say women have less drive than men, but if I were a man, I would rape a woman like that because her behavior and clothing are practically asking for it. But then again, it's pretty difficult to rape a man.

If someone views this as nothing more than an extreme opinion, then I am truly speechless...

Based on the symptoms you've described, it sounds like he might be struggling with depression.
It is incredibly difficult to expect someone in the middle of a depressive episode to just snap out of it or find their own momentum; they simply lack the internal resources to do so, which is why psychologists often refer to the concept of "learned helplessness."
Ultimately, your boyfriend has to reach a point where he decides he has had enough, and while you can certainly offer support and stay by his side through the dark times, the actual decision to change must come from him.
I have found that people who haven't personally navigated a major depressive episode often struggle to grasp the sheer weight of it—that paralyzing feeling where you can't find the strength to get out of bed, or when your relationship with food becomes completely erratic, or when you lose all interest in seeing friends and just want to withdraw from the world entirely.
Is he currently seeing a specialist or perhaps visiting a clinic for outpatient treatment, and is he following any specific medication or therapy protocols?
The way things stand right now doesn't look sustainable, and I worry that if this continues, it will start to take a serious toll on your relationship.

I’ve always had a deep appreciation for Tim Burton, and I actually still have a copy of Beetlejuice on VHS; the tape is honestly falling apart from how many times I've played it, but I just can't help myself because it's such a classic.😁
Even the animated version really resonated with me, though I suppose I eventually outgrew that stage of my life.😂