What were your biggest pregnancy surprises and pet peeves?

rustyrider20 said:Ugh, gross. That sounds like one of those beaches packed with bored older ladies... I was at a spot where nobody was over 35 or under 15, and my bump went completely unnoticed. Everyone was too busy eyeing those fit girls in bikinis with tattoos on their backs—and honestly, I was looking too, 😁those girls were absolute perfection

Yeah, well, it wasn't just old ladies—it was everyone, young and old. New episode: I’m walking into the ocean, and this guy yells out to his entire squad of like 15 people, "Yo, check out that gut!!!" There was even a pregnant woman right there with them (!!!), and she just deadpans, "Yeah, it's huge," then pulls out a cigarette and lights up!!! 😕

And I'm sitting there thinking, what idiots. You're acting like my stomach is some freak show, but honestly, looking at her, I doubt hers will be any better once all that smoking kicks in. 😁

Sarah Johnson7 said:Yeah, well, it wasn't just old ladies—it was everyone, young and old. New episode: I’m walking into the ocean, and this guy yells out to his entire squad of like 15 people, "Yo, check out that gut!!!" There was even a pregnant woman right there with them (!!!), and she just deadpans, "Yeah, it's huge," then pulls out a cigarette and lights up!!! 😕

And I'm sitting there thinking, what idiots. You're acting like my stomach is some freak show, but honestly, looking at her, I doubt hers will be any better once all that smoking kicks in. 😁

Honestly, it's pathetic, but I couldn't stop laughing 🤣

My latest little scenario... waiting for the bus to Mark Twain and this guy, clearly not "all there," keeps walking past me over and over, yelling every single time how slim a woman I am (and let's be real, I'm built like an elephant). At first, I just stared at him like, WTF 😕, but then I figured... hey, go ahead and be crazy and happy for yourself.

hollowmarlin49 said:I mean, I just love walking out to grab some milk and bread at Walmart, only to have the ladies behind the counter and everyone else start grilling me... like, seriously, why are you even out right now? Just chill out, guys, I'm just trying to run an errand, it's not like I can just teleport...

Ugh, I am signing onto this endlessly—it drives me crazy. When random people and even the cashiers at the corner store grill me about why I'm not lying down at home—when I've literally only walked a few blocks from my house—it makes me feel like I actually owe them an apology. As if they should be delivering my groceries to my door every morning... ugh, it's so annoying. And then there was all the staring at my stomach while I was on vacation—it's like nobody in America has ever seen a pregnant woman before. I seriously wonder where all these people come from...😉

Ugh, just had the wildest encounter that totally threw me for a loop. So, I’m at a Fisher-Price store on Saturday grabbing some jumbo pads, and this lady working there goes, "Oh, you must be due any day now." I was like, "Not quite... I still have five weeks left." And then 😲 she looks me dead in the eye and goes, "Well, your belly is huge, how much weight have you put on?!?" Honestly, I didn't even know what to say... ☕

hollowmarlin49 said:Ugh, just had the wildest encounter that totally threw me for a loop. So, I’m at a Fisher-Price store on Saturday grabbing some jumbo pads, and this lady working there goes, "Oh, you must be due any day now." I was like, "Not quite... I still have five weeks left." And then 😲 she looks me dead in the eye and goes, "Well, your belly is huge, how much weight have you put on?!?" Honestly, I didn't even know what to say... ☕

😂😂😂
sounds like we ran into the same lady
same exact lines when I was there a few days ago, she just didn't ask about the weight.
all that was missing 😠
woman seems obsessed with barley or something... 🤣🤣🤣

hollowmarlin49 said:Ugh, just had the wildest encounter that totally threw me for a loop. So, I’m at a Fisher-Price store on Saturday grabbing some jumbo pads, and this lady working there goes, "Oh, you must be due any day now." I was like, "Not quite... I still have five weeks left." And then 😲 she looks me dead in the eye and goes, "Well, your belly is huge, how much weight have you put on?!?" Honestly, I didn't even know what to say... ☕

??????????? 😲😲😲
Seriously... if she could hear me... what a total jerk... and at a Fisher-Price store too... damn...🤷
Sometimes people will actually stand up for me on the subway now that my bump is showing—usually it's really old ladies, so I just push them back down—I mean, it's easier for me than it is for them. But the rest of the creeps (mostly guys, like, did their moms not raise them better or what...) just sit there watching an old lady struggle to stand while I'm over here pushing her back down like ten times. Post office, bank, grocery store—zero respect. And I've noticed people are obsessed with staring at my belly, but clearly, it's not just me after reading your stories...

Totally agree, the constant unsolicited advice about my belly is the worst part—on the road, at coffee shops, even at the beach... And what you two mentioned about the Fisher-Price store—I haven't had an episode quite that rude, but I still deal with old ladies in stores or at the farmers market acting like investigators, asking if I'm due any second and commenting on how huge my stomach is. Like it's my fault? Should I just stop eating and drinking entirely so I can meet their standards?

My latest highlight from this morning: I'm at the grocery store grabbing a paper and some Marlboro cigarettes (which isn't really my thing 🙂). The cashier gives me the once-over, fumbles around with the cigarette packs, and then pulls out the one that says "Smoking is harmful to you and your baby" 😁
Meanwhile, the teenager behind me is buying beer and spitting everywhere, and she doesn't even bother checking if he's 18! It’s just great that she decided I was the one she needed to lecture to clear her conscience!

Sarah Johnson7 said:Totally agree, the constant unsolicited advice about my belly is the worst part—on the road, at coffee shops, even at the beach... And what you two mentioned about the Fisher-Price store—I haven't had an episode quite that rude, but I still deal with old ladies in stores or at the farmers market acting like investigators, asking if I'm due any second and commenting on how huge my stomach is. Like it's my fault? Should I just stop eating and drinking entirely so I can meet their standards?

My latest highlight from this morning: I'm at the grocery store grabbing a paper and some Marlboro cigarettes (which isn't really my thing 🙂). The cashier gives me the once-over, fumbles around with the cigarette packs, and then pulls out the one that says "Smoking is harmful to you and your baby" 😁
Meanwhile, the teenager behind me is buying beer and spitting everywhere, and she doesn't even bother checking if he's 18! It’s just great that she decided I was the one she needed to lecture to clear her conscience!

😂 lol, she was just being a concerned citizen. If I go in for ice cream and grab a Bud Light for my man, I should probably yell through the whole store that it's not for me, right?

hollowmarlin49 said:Ugh, just had the wildest encounter that totally threw me for a loop. So, I’m at a Fisher-Price store on Saturday grabbing some jumbo pads, and this lady working there goes, "Oh, you must be due any day now." I was like, "Not quite... I still have five weeks left." And then 😲 she looks me dead in the eye and goes, "Well, your belly is huge, how much weight have you put on?!?" Honestly, I didn't even know what to say... ☕

Back when I was pregnant, maybe around two months in—my little bump was already starting to show, especially since I always wore tight skirts and dresses to work...
And there I was at the office; I had just started this job, so I barely knew anyone's name yet. Suddenly, this older coworker comes up to me (I don't even know her name, we'd only run into each other twice a week) and starts badgering me about how much weight I've gained... I told her I hadn't even gained anything yet, but she kept pushing, insisting that my scale must be broken. I told her the scale was perfectly fine; I'd checked myself on two different scales and at my doctor's office, and they all showed the exact same thing...😁
But she wouldn't drop it! She kept saying, "I just don't think so... those scales aren't working, you've definitely put on weight..."🙄
I was already starting to get visibly annoyed, repeating that I hadn't, and then she actually concluded that I was definitely going to have a massive baby and that my labor would be terrible because of it. 😕

It was just absurd... I mean, I don't even know this woman, yet she's being so aggressive about my weight and the size of my baby. And it's not even true! I haven't gained much, and the baby isn't even big... I don't think the baby is even three pounds over the estimate, and my due date is tomorrow...
Honestly, in that moment, I felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to just strangle her with my bare hands...🙂

Man, I’d honestly rather just bite my tongue than say anything about her weight gain or feel like I have to defend myself...😠

Sarah Johnson7 said:Totally agree, the constant unsolicited advice about my belly is the worst part—on the road, at coffee shops, even at the beach... And what you two mentioned about the Fisher-Price store—I haven't had an episode quite that rude, but I still deal with old ladies in stores or at the farmers market acting like investigators, asking if I'm due any second and commenting on how huge my stomach is. Like it's my fault? Should I just stop eating and drinking entirely so I can meet their standards?

My latest highlight from this morning: I'm at the grocery store grabbing a paper and some Marlboro cigarettes (which isn't really my thing 🙂). The cashier gives me the once-over, fumbles around with the cigarette packs, and then pulls out the one that says "Smoking is harmful to you and your baby" 😁
Meanwhile, the teenager behind me is buying beer and spitting everywhere, and she doesn't even bother checking if he's 18! It’s just great that she decided I was the one she needed to lecture to clear her conscience!

🤣🤣

So, later this evening, my partner and I are heading over to my sister's place for pizza. I'll be walking there carrying a bottle of wine in one hand and a half-liter carton of beer in the other (my dear was kind enough to carry the trash while I lugged the booze 😁)... and there I am, strolling toward the car with a bit of a belly and a drink in hand, passing by a mother playing with her toddler in the park... well...😲
I must have looked quite the sophisticated sight 🤣

hollowmarlin49 said:Man, I’d honestly rather just bite my tongue than say anything about her weight gain or feel like I have to defend myself...😠

And what am I supposed to do about my wife...😁 Between the constant meetings and having zero downtime, there’s really nowhere for me to escape...😂

So I told my husband yesterday, hey, when you come pick up the guys from the construction site and drop me off at the hospital, bring me a beer so I can knock it back right outside Starbucks. He cracked up at first, then got all serious and was like, you want Child Protective Services or the cops to take our kid away? 😕 Honestly though, what a sight that would be. I'm already acting like a mom and I haven't even had a baby yet.

🤮I’m currently 14 weeks along and sitting at exactly 0 pounds gained. I know that's a solid zero because I actually weighed myself just to be certain—not that anyone asked—and then there’s this old busybody at the office who, in her endless attempts to be "sweet," decides to chime in with: "Oh, you don't even have a little bump yet, you're just widening out! Teehee!"

Honestly, she can just go jump in a lake. 🙄 I swear, some people have so much nerve it's almost impressive... if it weren't so incredibly irritating.

hollowmarlin49 said:So I told my husband yesterday, hey, when you come pick up the guys from the construction site and drop me off at the hospital, bring me a beer so I can knock it back right outside Starbucks. He cracked up at first, then got all serious and was like, you want Child Protective Services or the cops to take our kid away? 😕 Honestly though, what a sight that would be. I'm already acting like a mom and I haven't even had a baby yet.

Oh man, I was just telling my husband last night how much I am craving the moment when I can FINALLY go out on the town, hit up some decent lounge, grab a proper drink, and just completely unwind...

Now I'm feeling all bummed out because Balašević is performing in Santa Barbara on August 15th—which, obviously, is a total non-starter for me right now...😢

I know, I know, I probably sound like a complete lush, but I am just dying for the day when I can sip a killer cocktail or a tequila with a totally clear conscience... aaaawwww😍

Kate Cox2 said:Oh man, I was just telling my husband last night how much I am craving the moment when I can FINALLY go out on the town, hit up some decent lounge, grab a proper drink, and just completely unwind...

Now I'm feeling all bummed out because Balašević is performing in Santa Barbara on August 15th—which, obviously, is a total non-starter for me right now...😢

I know, I know, I probably sound like a complete lush, but I am just dying for the day when I can sip a killer cocktail or a tequila with a totally clear conscience... aaaawwww😍

Oh my gosh, the other day I just had this massive craving for a cocktail... and of course, I went ahead and treated myself... 🤣 ...though, yeah, it was non-alcoholic😂

What really got under my skin, though, was when this old lady (it’s been about a month since it happened... so my bump was still pretty small...) told me I should enjoy the summer as much as possible before the baby arrives... and when my husband mentioned my due date is in November, she goes, "Oh, well, you'll definitely have twins then!"... 😲
I just love retelling these stories🤣
And oh! Now that I think about it, this one just popped into my head too... hahahahah... some woman commented that she had absolutely no clue I was pregnant because there wasn't even a bump to speak of (this was like two months ago), and then my mother-in-law just blurted out, "Well, of course you can't tell, she's always been a big girl anyway!"... 🙄

What drove me absolutely up the wall during my pregnancy was having to pay out of pocket for every single checkup $233—only to inevitably spend at least two hours rotting in a waiting room. It’s just nonsensical; they’ll schedule fifteen different patients for the exact same time slot 👎

Yesterday, I was hanging out with a group of pregnant women and new moms, just chatting about how much easier things feel now that the baby has moved higher up. It’s such a relief not having to sprint to the restroom every five minutes like I did in the early stages. My mother-in-law was just standing off to the side, eavesdropping on the whole conversation, when she suddenly blurted out, "Oh, I was just about to mention how low you're carrying because your belly hangs so much!" Meanwhile, my bump is sitting right in the middle like I swallowed a basketball instead.

I’ve had this happen more than a few times now. I walk into a perfectly normal retail store—one that doesn't even carry maternity wear or baby supplies—and I can feel myself being judged. It’s usually the sales clerks giving me that look, as if to say, "What are you even doing here? We don't have anything for you."
Why are you staring? Why can't you just mind your own business?
It isn't like I'm going to be pregnant forever. I’ll go through this, and just because I’m not exclusively shopping at Target or specialized baby boutiques doesn't mean I'm selfish or that I won't be a good mother.
I still go for my walks every single day, and I’ve probably passed most of the baby stores in the area by now. I know all the prices; I know exactly where everything is located, and I even know which shop ran out of size 6M butterfly print pajamas.
I’ve been spending most of my time walking through air-conditioned shopping malls to escape this heat, which is how I know all this.
So, whenever I catch one of those bewildered stares, I just stare right back. I wait for them to actually say something to me—and when they finally do, they’re going to hear exactly what I think.

What really gets under my skin is MM 😬