Man, this cold is driving me absolutely crazy... it just lingers, you know? It feels like every single winter I deal with this constant cycle of being sick with these little breaks in between... I guess I’m just super sensitive when it comes to this stuff. If I step outside into the cold air for even a second, my nose starts running and I’m constantly blowing it 🤷 and sometimes my throat gets all scratchy and red too... Right now, I'm blowing clear-to-pale yellow mucus, nothing too thick yet, though it gets pretty heavy when my nose is totally blocked, which hasn't happened quite yet. My head feels heavy in the back, like a dull pressure before the sinus pain even kicks in... and occasionally I'll run a fever here and there—not right now, though—so I just lie down for a couple of days, knock back two or three Tylenols and plenty of tea, maybe some throat lozenges, and then the fever breaks and everything else settles down. I honestly can't remember the last time I was sick enough to actually need a prescription antibiotic 🤷
So, I’m at the end of my second trimester now. But I've got anemia—always have, and still do during this pregnancy—with low red blood cell counts, so I’m taking my iron supplements every day. Everything else in my bloodwork looked fine... that was back in November, and I need to get my labs done again after the holidays. Back in November, my urine test showed some red and white blood cells plus a lot of bacteria... but nothing much changed; I just drank cranberry juice and bumped up my Vitamin C intake, and when I did a culture two weeks ago, it came back totally clear 🤷
Anyway, if things don't settle down by New Year's, I'm gonna pester my doctor for a referral to get my bloodwork and urine checked again 🤔 The worst part is that I absolutely hate those waiting rooms during flu season, and I don't have anyone I can send to go instead of me. My husband can't because of work, and most of my friends are all away in Miami for the holidays 👎
My throat is killing me, super inflamed, and I can’t stop sniffing... plus my head is throbbing. And my back too. Honestly, everything feels off 😢👎I’m really hoping this isn't anything serious... I was just looking at the news and saw that the flu is making its rounds again. Just great. Seriously, I'm praying it's not the flu because I'm low-key panicking about the baby, and I actually have plans to travel somewhere for New Year's instead of being stuck in bed feeling miserable 😢
The only silver lining is that I don't have a fever yet. For now, I'm just loading up on vitamins, snacking on oranges, and sipping tea with plenty of honey and lemon... It doesn't seem worth going to get tested just to find out I'm fine, especially if it means sitting in a waiting room full of sick people 👎
Hannah Lewis2 said:Look, I just knock back a Nescafe on an empty stomach every morning. It's a habit from way before I was pregnant, and honestly, it almost always sends me running for the bathroom. Almost always, right? Sometimes it doesn't even work. But apparently, instant coffee has decent fiber content, so I mix half a teaspoon of caffeinated stuff with a spoonful of decaf—just so I don't overdo the caffeine intake—and now, besides the taste, I basically use it as medicine. And I take magnesium too, though I haven't really noticed much of a laxative effect from it myself.
For me, a morning coffee paired with some orange juice worked wonders 🙂
🙂 🙂 🙂
I've struggled with constipation forever, and nothing I eat seems to really help... 😳👎 but after dealing with this for the last seven years, I've basically had to strain so hard that my abdominal muscles are constantly tight and tense. Now that I'm pregnant, I'm actually terrified of straining like that... what if I accidentally cause some kind of issue down there? 👎 I've been avoiding coffee during the pregnancy because of the caffeine, but I think I might finally pick up some decaf just for those emergency moments when I really need it. 🤣
Douglas Booth22 said:Have you looked into any natural options yet? Magnesium is quite effective, and you can easily find fig and prune syrups at places like CVS or Walgreens. 👍 Just stay away from any herbal teas that contain senna plants.
I’m on magnesium every single day, plus iron, my prenatal, folic acid, and Vitamin C... I've also been snacking on some oranges and even had a Nesquik this morning. Usually coffee doesn't even touch me, but I haven't really had a cup in months, so... fingers crossed for a little Christmas miracle...🤣😢
Ugh, I’m only about 27 weeks along... way too early for me to be risking anything at this stage 😲😢
I’ve been doing a lot of heavy lifting lately—my body feels all tight and closed up, which is fine, I guess—but now I’m low-key freaking out that I might have messed something up 🤷 I mean, I am getting some contractions, but I think they’re just Braxton Hicks... you know, like my stomach just tightens up for a second, gets hard, hurts a little bit... but that can't actually lead to real labor or dilation, right? Or can it..? 🤷😢
Man, I am totally spiraling right now, and it's all because of this damn constipation that just won't quit 😳🙈 😢
man 😢 my ass hurts, my stomach is killing me, and I’ve been straining like an idiot for half an hour now... I’m honestly terrified I’m gonna mess something up if I keep going, but if it doesn't happen, it just doesn't happen 😢😢😠
and now I’m low-key worried that all this straining is doing the same damage as actually pushing too hard, and like, is that dangerous? 😢
Edward Rodriguez4 said:So I went to the local Red Cross clinic today for my last blood donation, and let me tell you, the woman working there absolutely butchered me... it was like she was skinning a deer or something! And honestly, how much blood do they really need? I’m telling you, they just sell it all off later—probably straight to some butcher shop to make blood sausages or whatever. Absolute scum! Plus, why does it hurt so damn much when they hit a vein?! Honestly, I’d rather have them just go straight for the jugular; at least then they might actually hit something instead of this mess... and then she has the nerve to comment, "Oh, your veins are so deep!!" Yeah, well, thanks for noticing! 🙄 Should I ask her to use a shallower needle next time???☕
I mean, alright, that's basically their way of saying, "It's not that I don't know what I'm doing, it's just that it isn't working"... and sometimes, honestly, there really isn't anything else they can do 😉
Anyway, my mom is actually a lab director (not at the Mayo Clinic one, obviously 😬), so even when I went to see her recently to get blood drawn—and I literally told her, "Mom, please get me someone gentle, you know how much I hate needles"—this nurse ended up stabbing me seven different times just trying to find a vein. Three times in the left arm, three in the right, and then once more in the left again. And once she finally found it, the blood wouldn't even flow properly because, besides my veins being super hard to find, my blood pressure was low... so she had to practically mash the needle around in there just to get things moving 😳👎 even though, you know, she knows she's drawing blood from the boss's daughter and all that. My mom usually makes sure everyone does their job perfectly, whether it's a stranger or me... but I still walked out of that lab with two massive bruises on my inner elbows. 😳
Usually, they pull from other veins when people have those really tough, hard-to-reach veins, like with addicts or patients who need constant draws until the ones in the crook of the arm just aren't an option anymore 😉
Rebecca Vaughn7 said:My mom is driving me absolutely insane. She’s been unemployed for ages, she’s drifted away from her entire social circle, and I’m basically all she has left. Because of that, every single emotion she has—the good, the bad, and the ugly—is aimed directly at me. Her whole sense of purpose revolves around those few hours a week when I come over to visit. When I moved into an apartment with my boyfriend—now my husband—she cried for two straight months like it was some endless monsoon. And yeah, I ended up crying too, just because she wouldn't stop. There were plenty of other gems, but I won't bore you with the whole list...
Get this: when guests started congratulating her at our wedding, she shut them all down. I quote: "I haven't achieved anything; I just lost my daughter."
She even told me straight to my face that while she's glad I'm happy with my life, she shouldn't be expected to act cheerful about the fact that I don't live under her roof anymore and have my own family where she isn't the center of the universe.
Like I mentioned, I’m not pregnant yet (though we're trying), but one of my biggest fears regarding pregnancy is how on earth I'm going to break the news to her if it actually happens.
Anyway, sorry ladies, I'll stop venting now!!! Love you all 😍
So, I’m thinking maybe she really needs to talk to someone professional about this... I mean, it's incredibly hard for a parent to be left alone, especially when they haven't figured out how to handle it, and she definitely hasn't... No, listen, if she doesn't find a way to move forward and actually learn to be happy seeing her child moving on with their own—hopefully totally normal—life, she's just going to spend the rest of her days stuck in this loop of worry and sadness🤷👎 and if she can't pull herself out of it on her own, maybe some therapy would actually help things click🤷🙂
Edward Rodriguez4 said:😂 you little rascal! who are you even trying to comfort?? just admit you're our little mini-mom-to-be! JUST ADMIT IT!! 😁 I tried squeezing back into my old pre-pregnancy jeans, but nope... it's just not happening! Most of my clothes have migrated straight to my belly... it’s getting seriously huge 😬
i wish 🤣🤣
It’s driving me crazy because I can't find my camera cable anywhere, but I really want to snap some pics. I want to show the difference between my regular size 2 size leggings and my maternity ones... because, honestly, my bump still looks tiny, but I've already put on about 15 pounds and it all went straight to my hips and butt. I definitely don't fit into my usual size 2 anymore 🤷
And yeah, I'm also super frustrated because my doctor at the local community clinic told me everything was totally fine, but then he wrote down in my medical records that I was dilated. Now I'm just sitting here waiting for an appointment at a private specialist on Monday morning to see if everything is actually okay or not. After I realized what he wrote on Friday, I was such a mess from crying and panicking that I could barely even get out of bed, let alone deal with the stress of waiting in line at a clinic just to ask a question... especially since that guy is one of those doctors who won't even answer basic questions when you try to ask him what's actually going on 👎👎
Sophia Taylor872 said:I honestly find myself wondering where this sudden surge of interest is coming from. It’s quite strange, really—all these people who didn't bother to check in on me once during my entire pregnancy, who didn't even seem to notice or ask how I was holding up, are suddenly flooding my inbox now. It’s just a constant stream of messages asking things like, "Are you still doing okay?" or "How much longer do we have?" or "When should we come by?" and so on... I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised, though; if I actually expected them to care, we probably would have had much better relationships than we do right now. I guess I just have such a distaste for people who act like performers, creating these hollow connections or performing these little social duties just because they feel obligated. It feels a bit insincere when someone talks about dropping by for the postpartum visit, yet we haven't even seen each other once throughout the whole pregnancy 🙄
My experience has been the exact opposite 👎
A few of my closest friends—the ones I used to hang out with and talk to all the time—haven't called once in a month to ask how I am or how the baby is doing... but then, every couple of months when we finally see each other, they'll drop a line like, "We're going to be there to babysit constantly once the baby arrives!" and stuff like that. 🙄 Honestly, thanks, but I don't need it. Thank God I'm doing well and can handle almost everything on my own... whatever I can't manage, my partner helps me with, which feels pretty normal to me... I don't see the point in bugging my friends with stuff unless I truly need them. But man, it would mean so much if they just remembered I exist even when I can't go out like I used to... just knowing I still matter in their lives. Instead, they can't even send a simple text, yet they talk big about being there to babysit "just because"... as if... 🙄👎
placidwalker6 said:So I walk into Walmart today, right? They’ve got those priority lanes for pregnant women and people with disabilities. Naturally, there are ten people standing in front of me. 🙄 Look, I’m not about to start shoving my way through the crowd—I’m not that kind of idiot—so I just stand there. This woman in front of me clearly notices both me and my bump, but she goes into full-on ignore mode. 🙄 Then, out of nowhere, she turns around and asks, "Are you behind me?" I’m standing there all confused, like, "Yeah..." thinking maybe she’ll let me cut ahead since she saw the sign for General Electric above the register, but instead she goes, "Could you please watch my cart? I just need to grab one more thing." 😲 Honestly, I didn't know whether to burst out laughing or just lose it on her. 😲 The blessed North America, man. 🙄
Wait, did you actually end up watching her cart? 🤷 😂
Honestly, Ginić is driving me absolutely insane lately because he gets so incredibly moody over the smallest things... like, he keeps trying to charge me for ultrasounds $33, which just makes zero sense to me. I mean, okay, maybe I don't strictly need them since I see a specialist privately too, but what if I didn't have that option? If I didn't, I’d basically be paying for three separate ten-second scans just so he can "check if the baby's heart is beating," and that's it 👎. It’s mostly because I refuse to pay him out of pure principle—not that I’m short on $33, but why would I throw away $33 when I’m entitled to free ultrasounds through my insurance? Every single time, I tell him to just write me a referral for the Mayo Clinic, which is literally his job to do, but he just rolls his eyes at me. He acts all offended by the idea of me going to the Mayo Clinic, saying stuff like, "Just let me take a quick look so I don't have to charge you," like he's doing me some huge favor 🙄 . And then there's the thing where I have to explain that I'm not *just* going to the Mayo Clinic, but that I actually go to my private doctor too... 🤣🤣 you know... it's just... well, not 🤣. He still writes my referrals for swabs and prescriptions and all that stuff, and since using a prescription from a private clinic at a place like CVS would cost a fortune, saving money that way gives me enough leverage to go and pester him once a month 🥳 ...
I know this has absolutely nothing to do with pregnancy, but I am honestly at my breaking point right now. My dishwasher just flooded, and I’ve spent the last hour frantically bailing water out of my kitchen 😠😠😠 and, of course, thanks to all that constant "squatting and standing up" combined with my blood pressure, now I’m feeling dizzy and my stomach is killing me 👎
So, I'm just going to mix myself a big glass of magnesium, take my vitamins, and try to map out some study schedule... just so I can feel like I actually accomplished something productive today instead of just fighting a flood 😠
Since I’ve been juggling this pregnancy by seeing both my primary doctor through my insurance and a private specialist at the same time, things get a little messy... I basically only go to the primary clinic to get the official referrals so they don't freak out about me seeing someone else, otherwise they'd expect me to handle the whole nine months there without knowing I have a private doctor too. I just take all the blood work, swabs, and stuff they do and bring them over to the private clinic, then show her the prescriptions so she can give me the actual 😬
Anyway, I was supposed to be at the primary clinic today and it completely slipped my mind... now I have to call them up and come up with some excuse for why I missed it, but honestly, I hate lying. It feels like enough already having to hide the fact that I'm seeing a private doctor on the side... and I know for a fact they're going to be annoyed if I just tell them I straight-up forgot 👎
Give me a break. And look... it’s not just about being called a "deadbeat"... it’s about the actual reason he used that word toward you—calling you a "deadbeat" because you were an exhausted pregnant woman who’d been working hard all day and just didn't have the energy for sex. I totally get that people have tempers and say things they don't mean when they're heated (for what it's worth, I'm 21 😬), but the point is he did something that deeply hurt you in a moment of anger, and honestly, he didn't even have a right to be mad in the first place.
I’ve unfortunately been through that same cycle myself—that total breakdown in communication and everything that follows... and those consequences? That's the part that really stings. But we never would have reached that breaking point if we had just dealt with the root cause: the lack of talking things out. Without real, honest communication, the issues just keep piling up until the relationship simply can't function anymore... and realizing that hurts probably even more than when the love fades. It feels like it's almost easier to accept that someone doesn't love you, or that you don't love them, rather than facing the reality where you both love each other but just can't find a way to be happy together. 👎
It’s actually driving me a little crazy... I haven't been able to deal with my own pedicure or even get my toenails sorted for over a month now. I wear a size 5, so nothing is huge, and my stomach is pretty flat too... but for some reason, I just don't feel comfortable bending over that far. It’s this weird, nagging sensation, almost like a gut feeling that I shouldn't be pushing it, and honestly, it's starting to get under my skin 🤷 because it’s so frustrating. My feet are tiny anyway, and my toes have those odd little nails that look even weirder when I let them go for too long... 😢 Thank God my partner doesn't even notice these things 😬
I’m honestly so bummed out because there’s this concert tonight that I would absolutely kill to go to, but I just can't... and to make matters worse, it’s my best friend's birthday bash, and I really want to be there celebrating with them, but life is just getting in the way right now. 😢
Plus, I’m 19 weeks along, and I've started getting a little bit anxious because I still haven't truly "felt" the baby... I mean, I feel *something*, but I can't tell if it's actually the little one moving or if it's just my digestion acting up again... 🤷
Edward Rodriguez4 said:As someone who’s been blessed with huge boobs since way before my pregnancy, I seriously don't get why you're even struggling with a size S! 😂 But man, let me tell you, nobody is rocking an S... or maybe an M... during pregnancy... 😢 Mine have already hit xxxxxxxxxL!!!! 😠 Like, they just hang there when I'm not wearing a bra... kind of like those women in certain tribal cultures... 😂
Actually, my bra size is a 32D... though none of the stores around here seem to stock it, so I usually grab a 34C or 34D depending on the cut... 😬 but honestly, I have zero clue how that translates to S/M/L sizing 🤷 and when I mentioned the other stuff, I was actually talking about panties and pants... 🙂
It's kinda driving me crazy how much I still don't know about pregnancy and babies... everyone acts like it's just common sense, but here I am at 17 weeks and I feel like a total idiot because there's a million things I haven't figured out yet, even though it feels like everyone else already knows everything... 👎
edit: also, it's super annoying how I've started using filler words like "actually," "I mean," "like," and "you know" so much that they make up like two-thirds of every sentence I write... 😠 😂
Edward Rodriguez4 said:🤣 Did you even notice how they Photoshop pregnant women in those magazines even more than supermodels?! 😠 I actually lost my mind the other day when I went to check out some clothes and saw a MATERNITY BRA in a size Small! 🙄 Like... what pregnant woman is wearing an XS? Seriously! So I asked the old lady working there for some maternity undies—just any basic pair I could pull over my belly—and she looks at me like, "We don't have THAT."... Then a few days later at the local grocery store, some old lady stared at my stomach like I had a giant burger tucked under my shirt or something, even though there was nothing there... 🙄
I usually wear a small (well, sometimes a medium depending on the cut) 🤷 honestly, I hope I’m still wearing a small for a bit longer... though looking at how fast this is happening, probably not for much longer... 🤣 😢
I just don't get the logic, you know? How can a bra be labeled S, M, L, or XL...? 🤷 Why aren't they using actual sizing like 32A, 34B, or 34C...? 🤷