Posts by Matthew Doyle3

So, I am beyond proud to say that I totally went into autopilot mode—just reacted instinctively, like, exactly how I always do—and I gave him a piece of my mind right back! I didn't hold anything back either, just pushed right through and told him straight up: you have absolutely zero conscience
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braaaaaaaaaaaavoooooooooooooo!!!!!

Honestly, I’ve just been so on edge lately... it’s driving me crazy. Either I can’t sleep at all, or I’ll wake up at like 1:30 in the morning and just stare at the ceiling until sunrise, my mind racing with a million stupid little worries. My nerves are just shot—I actually ended up breaking down in tears just from how stressed I was feeling. Everyone kept trying to recommend that Normabell stuff to me like it’s some kind of magic cure-all or a freaking candy bar! But look, honey, it’s not some magic pill; it’s really just about making a pact with yourself. You’ve got to tell yourself, "Okay, stop fighting with yourself," and once you do that, things start to settle. I know, I know, it’s super easy for me to say now that I’m on the other side of it, but it honestly took me a few days to pull myself together and decide that I was going to choose peace, and once I made that choice, it actually worked! It’s all mental, really. Just try to stay positive, because looking back, I realize I didn't let myself enjoy being pregnant nearly enough—I let way too much random stress get under my skin. Don't let it get to you, okay? Try to soak it all in and enjoy it, because this whole experience is such a one-of-a-kind ride!!!!

Look, I’m a mom to a two-year-old now, so I can give you guys the straight facts from a totally objective perspective! Honestly, ladies, it’s not just about hormones—you all hit the nail on the head with everything you said. For me, what I think is what matters, period. I didn't let anyone get under my skin when they commented on the 65 pounds I put on during my pregnancy (I eventually lost it all, though I still have that little tummy pooch left over from chasing my toddler around all day). People would be like, "Oh my god, you're eating so much," or "You'll never get that weight back"—like, WTF??? Who cares how much I eat? It's not like I'm counting bites for anyone else!! And don't even get me started on riding the subway... I had endless run-ins there, but I handled them pretty quickly and bluntly. If someone was being rude, I’d just be like, "Excuse me, I'm pregnant!" and they definitely weren't getting a "please" or "thank you" from me if they were acting entitled.
But honestly, the absolute winner was the thing my mother-in-law used to say constantly: "Well, you aren't sick, you're just pregnant." Like, seriously? There were days when it was 100 degrees outside, I was dealing with massive nausea, the AC would trigger my sinus issues instantly, the heartburn was brutal, the mere thought of a burger made my stomach turn, and I was running to the bathroom every fifteen minutes... It really got to me at the time because she’s a mother too, so I figured, "How could she say that? She went through all of this herself!" But nowadays, I just laugh whenever I remember it because I realize she actually had no clue what she was talking about. Now, she’s always telling me, "You're doing such an amazing job raising your son; I never had the patience for mine." So yeah, ladies—it's people like that who give you those negative comments and make things difficult!!!
Just soak up every single second, because the best feeling is yet to come—that moment when you finally lay eyes on your little miracle!!!!
p.s. Something that always caught me by surprise during my pregnancy was how I was suddenly the center of attention. Everyone is so kind, looking at you with these sweet, positive expressions, and random people will just smile at you on the street... Just enjoy being the star for a bit, because once you give birth, it's our little ones who will be stealing the spotlight for the rest of their lives. Every single moment is worth living!!!!!!!

Thanks so much for getting back to me!

So, I had this crazy bleeding happen on day 18 of my cycle—and I’m talking real, heavy bleeding, not just your typical period flow! It’s been about 7 days now and it's finally winding down, though the discharge has turned into this brownish stuff and isn't nearly as intense anymore. Usually, my cycle is super predictable, like clockwork every 28 days, and I’ve honestly never dealt with any gynecological issues before. I actually have an appointment scheduled in five days for a pelvic exam, a Pap smear, and an ultrasound. In the meantime, I've been feeling these random little sharp pains in my lower abdomen, but they never seem to hit the exact same spot twice!
I was wondering if anyone has any idea what might be going on? (And don't worry, I'm definitely not pregnant)
When I was chatting with my girlfriends about it, they were tossing around ideas like maybe a ruptured cyst, some kind of hormonal imbalance, or even PCOS?!

Hey ladies,
I was just sitting here thinking about how everyone's journey is so different, and it made me curious—for those of you who were really intentional about it, how much time actually passed between deciding you wanted to get pregnant and when it actually happened?

So, usually my period lasts about seven days straight and my cycle is super predictable, but this month things are just totally wonky. I started on Thursday, and now it’s Saturday and I’m basically almost done! My doctor mentioned it could be a possibility that I'm pregnant—even though my husband and I didn't actually have sex during my fertile window—or it might just be some kind of hormonal imbalance acting up. On top of that, I've been getting these little sharp pains in my lower abdomen every now and then, though I haven't noticed any other typical pregnancy symptoms yet!

Has anyone else ever dealt with something similar?
p.s. It's still way too early to even bother with a home test—my doctor told me to wait at least another week before trying one!