Posts by gentlesailor2

I'm honestly heartbroken reading about Jordan Devey passing away so young. It’s a heavy reminder of how much mental health struggles can hide behind a successful career and a big smile. Does anyone else feel like we need to do more to support retired athletes transitioning out of the league?

Roger Rodriguez said:Why is it that every time I post a negative thought about being pregnant, people jump down my throat and call me horrible or disgusting?
Sure, bringing a new life into this world is a miracle, but am I really not allowed to complain when my heart is racing, I’m constantly nauseous, or I'm craving ice cream only to feel sick immediately after eating it? Apparently, if I'm not absolutely loving every second of this, I'm just being ungrateful, right?
Honestly, if I felt this way without being pregnant, I’d be at the ER demanding a checkup and asking them to keep me overnight until my hormones settled down. But because I'm expecting, I'm just supposed to grit my teeth and deal with it because "all women go through this" and we're all just naturally brave martyrs by design.🙄
It’s so frustrating because everyone around me seems to be in a state of pure euphoria, while I’m actually terrified and spiraling about whether I can even survive labor. Every time I try to express my anxiety, the responses are always the same: "Don't get stressed, the baby will feel it," "It'll be fine" (my absolute favorite), or people starting to throw religious platitudes at me. What, am I expecting a guardian angel or the Virgin Mary to step in and give birth for me instead?🙄

"Just leave it in God's hands." 🤦 That's exactly what I got...

Nancy Ruiz7 said:Let’s be clear here—I’m not trying to compare kids to pets, because I know how much that can rub people the wrong way, but rather the general mindset surrounding it. Since my career revolves around working with children, I’m constantly surrounded by them, so I’ve always found the whole energy quite uplifting instead of overwhelming. Honestly, things like sleep deprivation don't even phase me... what actually keeps me up at night is the uncertainty of pregnancy itself and the potential outcomes, rather than the actual arrival of the baby. We'll adapt to whatever the little one needs when the time comes, though I am certainly going to try my best to hold onto my usual hobbies and daily routines as much as possible. And despite the endless stream of "well-meaning" advice flying our way from every direction, we are still the ones calling the shots on how we want to do this...

Honestly? Sometimes I feel like raising my pets was more traumatic than having my own kid. At least with a kid, you can just put them in diapers. Puppies and kittens don't come with those kinds of messes... 🤣

Today was a total nightmare trying to deal with hair removal. Specifically, trying to tackle my bikini area and thighs without an extra mirror. 🙂

And don't even get me started on trimming my toenails. Nail polish? What even is that? And please, don't suggest a pedicure. I am morbidly ticklish. Nobody is allowed to go near my feet, let alone touch them. I’d probably need to be wasted just to survive someone touching my feet. And that’s not happening right now...

Linda Ramos66 said:So, yesterday I ran into this childhood friend after basically a whole year. We were tight from when we were little kids all the way up to about seventeen... anyway, she spent the entire time tearing me apart. My weight, my body, my hair—everything. And there was this specific tone in her voice, like she was low-key mocking me... I don't even know how to put it into words. It’s not like I’m actually upset or anything, since she doesn't really matter in my life anymore, but man, after that whole "critique" session, it just makes me think about how much people suck and how they just love sticking their noses where they don't belong and acting like they know everything.
She even had the nerve to suggest I should just go ahead and get married, maybe even a quick courthouse wedding or something.
Excuse me?! Like, why is that your business? What kind of comments are those, seriously... 😲
🙂

People like that are honestly the worst. They don't see you for years and then suddenly think they have the right to judge your looks or your weight...

But seriously, what's your take on having a kid out of wedlock?! Quincy, Quincy! 🙂 Do you need to call some advocacy group to get directions? 🙂

Being stuck in bed is driving me crazy. It’s the lying around, watching my husband do all the cleaning while I just sit here. And the hip pain? It’s brutal. At this rate, I’m going to end up with pressure sores.

Then there's my mom, suffocating me with these baby pillows. She’s been hoarding them for years, and now suddenly I’m supposed to use them because I’m due soon. Apparently, little babies need these specialized pillows from the hospital. It doesn't matter that we're setting everything up at our place in Austin, and it doesn't matter that a pillow won't fit in an Austin nursery. Or that it's going to be 105 degrees outside for five weeks straight. None of that matters, because she insists I need them for the christening I'm planning in November. How is a three or four-month-old even going to fit in that setup? Doesn't matter. The pillow is mandatory. So now, thanks to her, it’s sitting in a box in the attic.

And don't get me started on my coworker. She had her baby three months ago and now she’s acting like an expert, lecturing me about disposable underwear, breastfeeding, and which hospitals provide better nightgowns or let dads into the delivery room. That’s why she insisted on going to that 31 miles remote hospital out in the middle of nowhere. Seriously? How am I supposed to give birth without my husband when that's how everyone does it now? How am I supposed to wash bloody underwear? Where am I going to get enough nightgowns when she was changing three times a day?
HELLO? No way am I risking 31 miles just to end up giving birth under some rural signpost in a place like a bottomless pit. MM and I already agreed that I’ll be giving birth without him, just like last time, at the hospital five minutes from our house. I don't see what the big deal is—I’ve done this before without him. YES, I HAVE GIVEN BIRTH BEFORE, I HAD MY OWN NORMAL UNDERWEAR AND NIGHTGOWNS, AND I SUCCESSFULLY BREASTFED!!!

Peter Turner6 said:I’ve been lurking on this forum for years, but I finally decided it was time to jump in. 🙂

Lately, I’ve been getting so annoyed by people who think they have a right to broadcast my pregnancy to everyone else. Just because I told one person the gender doesn't mean they get to go run their mouth to fifteen other people.
I honestly don't get how people justify this behavior. It’s our business—me, my husband, and our parents—and we're the only ones who decide who gets to know what.
🙂

I know exactly how you feel. I already posted about this once—back when I announced my pregnancy at work, some guy there started telling entire classes of kids that the librarian was pregnant. Seriously? What business is it of theirs?

Roger Rodriguez, have you tried Donat? Look, I know nobody actually likes the taste, but you get used to it eventually. It worked wonders for my nausea, and later on, for my heartburn too. I haven't dealt with any of that lately—I’ve been symptom-free for a few weeks now, so >.
I also get where you're coming from. Back during my first pregnancy, I was still in college. All that exam stress and those endless "what if" questions you mentioned in your first post just make regular pregnancy aches feel ten times worse. Maybe try to just take a breath and live one day at a time—one midterm at a time. I ended up losing a year because of the baby, but I went back and finished my degree without any issues. Just slow down a bit. 🙂

OT: The night sweats are driving me crazy. I had them at the very beginning (that was actually my first sign, along with sore breasts), and now I'm sweating like a pig again. Plus, when it mixes with the nipple discharge, I wake up feeling wet and sticky (this sounds like something out of some cheap adult movie...). 😬

analogscout66 said:Is it just me, or does pregnancy make you feel incredibly clumsy? It’s like I suddenly lost all my coordination overnight!🙂
I’ve got these little bruises around my knees from constantly bumping into the coffee table in the living room, I always have at least two cuts on my fingers covered in Band-Aids, and honestly, I think I’ve broken more dishes in the last few months than I did in my entire life combined! 🤦

🤣

In my kitchen, the walls basically tell the story of everything I've cooked over the last 28 weeks... 😉

My husband joked that he’ll need three gallons of Sherwin-Williams paint just to cover the stains, but he said he'll wait until after the baby arrives to start painting.

cosmiccrane15 said:I’ve spent seven damn years being a total jealous, possessive mess whenever my partner goes out to work—I know, I’m a disaster. And now, because of this baby, I’m just staying quiet, keeping to myself, and brooding internally... but why the hell does everyone around me insist on guilt-tripping me all day long? I was actually being totally cool for once, but they won't let it go. They keep asking why I'm like this, why I'm so jealous, and why I'm "hurting" the baby—claiming the kid is gonna end up autistic or slow or withdrawn or whatever—until I finally snap and break down into tears.

I mean, what the hell is wrong with people? Instead of just leaving me alone, they spend the entire day rubbing salt in the wound, and then when I finally buckle under the constant pressure, it’s like, “A-HA! See? There she goes again, crying and making a scene!”

I mean, honestly, who wouldn't lose it after twelve hours of pure torture, listening to people lecture me about what's going to happen to my baby just because they think I'm some kind of unstable person?!

Hang in there, girl. It sounds like pregnancy is hitting you hard right now. 🙂

Just eat your whole foods and cry as much as you need to. Vent here on the forum if you have to... we get it.

cosmiccrane15 said:Man, this part always cracks me up whenever I check this thread! 😂

Glad you're getting a laugh out of it... But honestly, these weight watchers drive me insane, pregnancy or not. I've been fighting my weight for ten years, and now it's like everyone's offended that I haven't gained a single pound by week 27. 😛

Whatever. My glucose test was borderline, and I managed to drop my sugar levels in just a month by dieting. Not that I’m acting like a food snob or pretending I’ll never touch meat again, but I am strictly cutting out the white stuff—sugar and flour. Now everyone's trying to lecture me, saying "well, one lady had Type 1 and another had Type 2 and they still ate cake, so why are you acting like Kate Moss and turning down your mom's homemade rolls?" Look, I love rolls and sweets. I'm practically white-knuckling it just to avoid buying a box of Jaff cookies for myself... It feels like I have zero support here. The only one on my side is my poor husband, who’s still scouring the city looking for that specific bread I’m actually allowed—and wanting—to eat. Bless his heart. 😍

How much weight did you gain? 🙂 ENOUGH!

It would be nice if everyone could just guess what the baby's name is going to be. But let's be real—that’s never happening. 🙂

Raymond Brooks7 said:Honestly, just lying here doing nothing is driving me up the wall. It’s the restlessness. Plus, having my kid sick is a total drag, and being stuck in this position means all I can do is stare at dust motes floating through the air like tiny hawks. 🙄🙂

I spent four weeks stuck on the couch myself. I spent the whole time nagging my husband with a rag, like, "Hey, wipe that down" or "Can you please get rid of that spider?" It’s wild how much you notice from that perspective. It wasn't even hard for me to jump back into the housework, but he swore those were the worst four weeks of his entire life... 😁

Hey there, moms-to-be!
I really thought nothing would get under my skin during this pregnancy. Then I realized it’s actually these neighbors of mine—they're in their late 50s. They drive me crazy because they assume that since I'm out on maternity leave, I have nothing but time to plot my grand escape from them once I'm back from the hospital in August.
The thing is, I’ve heard it everywhere, even from my own mother living 9.3 miles out of state. They act like they’re just thrilled for me. Like they couldn't wait for me to get pregnant? Oh, they're just so excited for the baby and can't wait to play with it... What are they actually thinking? Do they think they’ll be some kind of doting grandparents? They already have three grandkids of their own; they should probably stay far away from me. And then when I run into them, they give me this creepy, wide-eyed look and go, "Oh my goodness, neighbor, how are you doing? How will you manage all alone now? Take care of yourself!" Honestly, whenever I head out, I check to make sure they aren't around. Even though I'm only 16 weeks along and nobody even notices the bump yet, they still reach out toward me. I always step back. I've never been one for people I barely know invading my personal space. Don't they get the hint when I move away? There is zero chance I'm letting them touch my stomach. I can already see them popping up every single day like it's their job.
Anyway, if anyone's reading this, thanks. I just needed to vent. It might not sound like a huge deal to some, but you have to experience it to believe it. Their version of "love" is just plain weird...

Every new generation brings some kind of supposed progress compared to the last. Evolutionarily speaking, I guess it’s not that weird. It's also not news that girls are hitting puberty in younger grades; that was happening even back when I was a kid. Maybe it was less common then, but it happened. The term "tweenagers" has become standard now—kids who aren't quite little anymore but aren't full teenagers either. They're just stuck in that middle ground. For years, the consensus has been that you can't treat kids between 8 and 13 like toddlers anymore (though there are exceptions, of course); they need different parenting approaches. The toughest part is the emotional side. They're still children, but their bodies are racing toward adulthood at a speed they can barely wrap their heads around. I agree with Ribežica: we need to make sure this process is as stress-free as possible. Talk to them openly and, for heaven's sake, let's stop making everything a taboo. Stop teaching kids to use euphemisms like "auntie" or whatever. Just call things by their actual names. Don't worry, the pre-puberty phase can drag on, but don't wait too long to start preparing them.