What were your biggest pregnancy surprises and pet peeves?

I am honestly sick to death of everyone constantly commenting on my midsection. It’s always the same tired remarks: "You've filled out a bit," "Your ankles look swollen," or "Did you gain weight or not?" Honestly, why does anyone feel entitled to comment on such an intimate matter? It’s none of their business. But what really gets under my skin are those women who have experienced miscarriages and feel the need to dump that trauma on me. They share these stories as if they think I actually want to hear them—as if telling me about their loss is somehow going to protect me or just leave me feeling anxious and unsettled.
And don't even get me started on people who start sentences with, "If the baby is born healthy and well..." Seriously? Why is there an immediate need to pivot to such a pessimistic, "what-if" scenario right out of the gate?

Finally got cut in front of for the first time the other day. At the bank. I'm 37 weeks pregnant—maybe I’m finally visible now, huh?

And don't even get me started on the grocery stores... It drives me nuts when people spot the bump and suddenly act all awkward, looking everywhere but at me. Or they try to sell me these pathetic excuses—stuff like, "Oh, I'm in such a rush, otherwise I'd let you go," or "I only have two things, I'll be super quick," or some woman going, "I'd let you go, but my leg is killing me so I can't move." Like, who asked you to let me go?? I stood at the end of the line on my own. I wasn't expecting anything, I wasn't pushing, I wasn't groaning... what's the point? Is your conscience just that heavy that you have to make excuses?

I was only sixteen when I found myself pregnant and heading into the clinic. I ended up stuck in this massive line, just standing there behind a whole bunch of women and a crowd of older guys. Since I wasn't showing much yet, it didn't even cross my mind to ask if I could skip ahead; I figured I could handle the wait just fine. But then, things took a turn when some of the older ladies started getting into this heated argument with the seniors over whether I should be let through first. The whole waiting room just erupted into shouting matches because of me. Honestly, I was just mortified. It’s not like I was thirty-six and clearly expecting...

If the weather is cool, I don't mind waiting in line, but when I have to pay my utility bills in this blistering heat, I just walk up to the counter and politely ask, "Excuse me, do pregnant women get priority?"... honestly, I’ve got nothing to lose. And wouldn't you know it, they call me forward ahead of everyone else every single time. Just so you know, I'm not actually expecting 🙂))) but hey, if I can get a little bit of luck on my side once in a while, why shouldn't I?

I'm at the post office today.
The line is stretching out the door.
As soon as I walked in, everyone turned to look at me, then immediately played dumb like they hadn't noticed—not that it matters.
The only person who actually offered to let me cut ahead was an old gentleman with a cane standing right in front of me. I didn't take him up on it; I felt fine, and I honestly didn't mind waiting.
What really got under my skin, though, was this guy—maybe forty, totally jacked, wearing sunglasses indoors—who showed up after me and kept trying to squeeze his way to the front of the line.
After his third attempt, I finally snapped. I told him, loud enough for the whole room to hear, that while I might have had priority, I wasn't about to let anyone skip just because they were in a rush, so he could stop breathing down my neck and fidgeting.
That’s when everyone jumped in. They absolutely tore him apart for his lack of manners, and instead of apologizing, he actually tried to argue with the entire crowd.
Only after that did everyone finally acknowledge me and let me go ahead.

Look, I’m telling you, it’s officially confirmed by pretty much everyone I talk to—people can be incredibly selfish, inconsiderate, and just plain cold 😠

It’s honestly such a rarity to have someone actually let you cut ahead in line. Most people just look away, pretend they didn't see anything, or try to make some lame excuse to justify it 🙄
I’ve only had two instances where someone was actually decent enough to step aside for me—once on a crowded subway car and once at the grocery store checkout (where pregnant women usually get priority)

Whenever I'm at the register, people always whisper, "Why don't you just go ahead? You have priority," but honestly, I just don't have the energy to deal with a group of people starting to grumble and pick a fight over it...
Maybe we’re the ones in the wrong here. Maybe we should just take our rights every single time and let people say whatever they want
Man, I wish my parents had raised me to be a bit more assertive about stuff like that..

spitfire said:honestly, I couldn't care less about all the complaining or whatever else is going on, I don't even hear them, I've always just got my music blasting in my ears... I just move forward (except when I'm at the grocery store, I've never really run into a massive line there anyway)

I’m way too high-strung for that; I’d end up getting into an argument immediately..
so I'd rather just wait until it's my turn—then I'll go.

I’ve been playing the system a little bit too, honestly... just taking advantage of the priority lanes whenever I have to deal with the hospital, Medicare, or even the local police station where you usually end up rotting in a waiting room for two hours.
I don't expect anyone to cut me in line at the grocery store or anything, though. I don't feel bad about waiting my turn for a few minutes when it's just retail...

Benjamin Roberts5 said:I’m way too high-strung for that; I’d end up getting into an argument immediately..
so I'd rather just wait until it's my turn—then I'll go.

Oh, please—that sounds great! You pick a fight, blow off some steam, deal with being cranky for ten minutes... but then comes that moment where the adrenaline drops and you're left with nothing but pure satisfaction and a grin. Then you can just hop onto this forum to brag 😉 and all the other expectant moms will be happy for you.

Stuck on the subway right now. I’m only 10 weeks along, so you can barely see anything under my coat, but I’ve always had a bit of a gut—I’m thin everywhere else, so now the baby bump and my natural curves have just merged into one big "five-month pregnant" situation, for sure. 😁
First trimester, man. I don't even want to get into how nauseous and exhausted I am, or how everything smells like garbage to me lately. And yet, not a single soul offered me a seat, not even an inch. It's like nobody even thought for a second that I might actually be pregnant.
It honestly just bugs me. It gets under my skin. Ever since I started taking the subway back in high school, I’ve been the type to jump up for every grandma, old guy, or mom struggling with kids I see. I do it for everyone. But now that I actually need it? Nothing. Not a single move from anyone... what a bunch of jerks. It really set me off yesterday.

Then the thought hits me—maybe they just think I'm gaining weight, and they're too polite to offer a seat to a "pregnant lady" so I won't feel insulted. 🤷 🤣

So yeah...☕

As for advice...
From the moment I wake up, it's just a cycle: first morning sickness, then the elevator, then work, and finally I call my friend, only for her first response to be: "Hey, maybe don't paint your nails right now, you shouldn't..."
It was basically just a "talk to you later" kind of vibe for the next seven months... boo-hoo, life's great.

rustybison19 said:Stuck on the subway right now. I’m only 10 weeks along, so you can barely see anything under my coat, but I’ve always had a bit of a gut—I’m thin everywhere else, so now the baby bump and my natural curves have just merged into one big "five-month pregnant" situation, for sure. 😁
First trimester, man. I don't even want to get into how nauseous and exhausted I am, or how everything smells like garbage to me lately. And yet, not a single soul offered me a seat, not even an inch. It's like nobody even thought for a second that I might actually be pregnant.
It honestly just bugs me. It gets under my skin. Ever since I started taking the subway back in high school, I’ve been the type to jump up for every grandma, old guy, or mom struggling with kids I see. I do it for everyone. But now that I actually need it? Nothing. Not a single move from anyone... what a bunch of jerks. It really set me off yesterday.

Then the thought hits me—maybe they just think I'm gaining weight, and they're too polite to offer a seat to a "pregnant lady" so I won't feel insulted. 🤷 🤣

So yeah...☕

As for advice...
From the moment I wake up, it's just a cycle: first morning sickness, then the elevator, then work, and finally I call my friend, only for her first response to be: "Hey, maybe don't paint your nails right now, you shouldn't..."
It was basically just a "talk to you later" kind of vibe for the next seven months... boo-hoo, life's great.

It’s like I’m talking to myself here...👍
Look, it’s not like I’m entitled to a seat, but with this heat, I’ve already felt lightheaded a few times, and sometimes I get these sudden bouts of hypoglycemia where everything just goes blurry... it's scary.
I actually sat down with my OB-GYN to talk about potential complications—like what to expect and when, especially since my job requires being out in the field and I have a bit of medical history—and he basically told me that given the way people operate around here, all he needs is to know if a pregnant woman lives in a suburb but works in downtown Manhattan, because he knows exactly how much women struggle to get to work when nobody gives them a damn hand.👎

It’s honestly such a headache when people refuse to let a pregnant woman go first, or won't even offer her a seat... but just imagine how much more infuriating it is when you're dealing with a mother who's already exhausted from an injury, all while trying to wrangle a two-year-old toddler along with her. And then, to top it all off, you have everyone else huffing and rolling their eyes because the cashier, the security guard, or some clerk at the DMV decides I actually get priority!

Kenneth Grant21 said:It’s honestly such a headache when people refuse to let a pregnant woman go first, or won't even offer her a seat... but just imagine how much more infuriating it is when you're dealing with a mother who's already exhausted from an injury, all while trying to wrangle a two-year-old toddler along with her. And then, to top it all off, you have everyone else huffing and rolling their eyes because the cashier, the security guard, or some clerk at the DMV decides I actually get priority!

absolute nightmare 😲
I honestly can't believe this...
but hey, next time someone's spinning me around in circles in an elevator? I don't give a damn.

I’m seven months pregnant now, and honestly, I can’t get anyone to give up their seat for me on the subway. It’s not like people aren't noticing—I’m naturally quite thin, so the bump really stands out, and I even wear those maternity shirts with the little baby footprints on them just to make it obvious. But it feels like people just scan me from head to toe, judge my pale, exhausted look, and decide they don't need to move. I always feel like I'm right on the edge of passing out, too. A few times lately, I’ve actually had to step off at a station just to catch my breath because I felt like I was about to collapse.

I swear, people have been getting up whenever I board the subway lately (hopefully I'm not jinxing myself though). I honestly think it’s just because I’m such a huge presence that they can’t even move around me... But yesterday was a total mess on the bus, some frantic old guy actually elbowed me right in the gut 😲 He couldn't even figure out where to sit in an empty bus, just spinning around like a fool for two stops. My immediate reaction was basically "get lost" 🙂 I gave him a shove just to get him away from me. His wife was staring at me with pure terror in her eyes because I totally snapped...

hollowmarlin49 said:I swear, people have been getting up whenever I board the subway lately (hopefully I'm not jinxing myself though). I honestly think it’s just because I’m such a huge presence that they can’t even move around me... But yesterday was a total mess on the bus, some frantic old guy actually elbowed me right in the gut 😲 He couldn't even figure out where to sit in an empty bus, just spinning around like a fool for two stops. My immediate reaction was basically "get lost" 🙂 I gave him a shove just to get him away from me. His wife was staring at me with pure terror in her eyes because I totally snapped...

😂😂😂
Oh goodness, I am absolutely loving this story.
Even though having someone strike me in the stomach throughout my entire pregnancy is my absolute greatest fear, 😢
I think you were totally justified in giving him a piece of your mind! 👍

I absolutely lost my mind at Walmart yesterday,
I headed over there after my doctor's appointment just to grab some ice cream since my freezer was totally empty,
and I am obsessed with theirs,
so I get to the checkout with three cartons of ice cream in hand,
there are four lanes open, and I ask if I can just quickly jump ahead (I even had my cash ready in my hand and everything)
but everyone just turns their back on me, rolling their eyes, acting like they don't understand or just plain refusing to let me through
(and yeah, it was nothing but tourists with overflowing carts everywhere)...

If my husband had been in the car, he would have caused a scene because he loses it when people won't let me cut ahead—especially since I technically have priority and my belly is currently huge, like a watermelon,
but I just didn't have the energy to fight with them
so I just left the ice cream right there in the first freezer (I was being polite enough, I guess)
and walked out!!!!
Well, honestly, screw all of you and your complete lack of empathy!

Later, my mom gave me an earful, saying I should have gone straight to the first clerk and demanded to go ahead of the line,
but how am I supposed to explain to her that nobody would even let me pass, let alone listen to a word I said?
I was honestly terrified someone in that crowd would shove me and hit me right in the stomach...

I've been running around like crazy lately. I was out and about yesterday morning—even hopped on a Greyhound bus—hitting maybe 15 different shops just to get things done (don't even ask how my feet feel right now). I hit the bank, the pharmacy, the doctor's office... and not a single person offered to let me sit down. Not one person gave up a seat for me. Not a soul... Cheers to the Middle East...

Edward Williams8 said:I've been running around like crazy lately. I was out and about yesterday morning—even hopped on a Greyhound bus—hitting maybe 15 different shops just to get things done (don't even ask how my feet feel right now). I hit the bank, the pharmacy, the doctor's office... and not a single person offered to let me sit down. Not one person gave up a seat for me. Not a soul... Cheers to the Middle East...

Look, it isn't just about the Middle East,
just read my previous post,
yesterday I was at Walmart with three ice cream cones and some tourists wouldn't even let me cut in line,
even though there were four registers open and ten people at every single one...
they actually started talking trash about me too...

It's just a general lack of decency—that's the real issue, everywhere and always!!!

Amanda Reed4 said:Look, it isn't just about the Middle East,
just read my previous post,
yesterday I was at Walmart with three ice cream cones and some tourists wouldn't even let me cut in line,
even though there were four registers open and ten people at every single one...
they actually started talking trash about me too...

It's just a general lack of decency—that's the real issue, everywhere and always!!!

Screw the tourists who shop at Walmart while they're on vacation...😂 😂