What were your biggest pregnancy surprises and pet peeves?

Only nine days left until my due date, yet everyone keeps making the same observations: "Oh, you haven't popped yet," or "You still look so slim," or "You're still up and walking around fine." It is truly exhausting. Nothing during this entire pregnancy has been more irritating than these mindless comments and unsolicited statements at the very end. I spend my days staying active, walking with friends, and simply enjoying myself, only to have my mood ruined by such trivial nonsense.😵 God save me🙏!!!
Even having people touch my belly for various reasons isn't nearly as annoying as this.😲

stormygardener28 said:It honestly drives me crazy that I end up staining every single shirt I own with food; I suppose it’s just because my stomach makes it impossible to lean in close enough to the table while I'm eating.

Hahaha, I am totally with you on that one, 🤦

I don't know about all you lovely ladies out there, but this is my second pregnancy and every single time—and I mean every single time—anything I pick up just seems to slip right through my fingers and hit the floor.🙂 Like, wtf? It's like I suddenly developed two left hands or something.😵😵 I've pretty much stopped bending over altogether; now, as soon as my husband gets home from work, I just tell him where the thing I dropped is and make him grab it for me.🙂

I’m checking in because I finally get it—those people who used to complain about everyone constantly badgering them with "so, when is the baby coming?" Every single day. It’s relentless. Ten different people call me daily—coworkers, friends, my parents calling four times a day—and I’m just sitting here waiting for my dad to ring me up and ask the same damn question.

My due date was April 4th, so we’re looking at ten days of this minimum.

On top of that, the contractions started Monday. They’re completely erratic—sometimes they hit every ten minutes, then they stretch to thirty, then there’s a three or four-hour gap before they strike again... They especially love showing up in the middle of the night; I’ll be lying wide awake until 6 AM just cursing everything under the sun.
Every evening it’s the same thing—I'm practically pleading with my body, *come on, baby, just let this happen...* Honestly, I’m not even afraid of the actual labor anymore; I just want these contractions to stop. If it were just mild cramping, like period pains, it wouldn't be such a disaster, but occasionally they hit so hard I can't even straighten up—I end up hunched over like Quasimodo making my way to the bathroom... Then, predictably, my mom calls for the hundred and forty-seventh time to remind me that if I want to speed things up, I need to go for walks, so I grab a cap and head to the park or out for ice cream. As if! Like I’m supposed to waddle through a crowded public park looking like a hunchback while sweating through my clothes.🙏

To make matters worse, my mother-in-law is taking a week off work "to help us," despite the fact that we told her twenty times we wanted our privacy. Meanwhile, my mom subtly brings up how her colleagues at the office are baffled that she won't be staying at our place for the first few weeks to help out, implying that she had to pitifully tell them she was being "unwanted"... Then she hits me with that innocent little question about whether she'll even be allowed to see the baby.😁
Look, nobody said she couldn't visit, but wanting to visit isn't the same thing as moving into my apartment for two weeks.😁

So... yeah.

The battle continues.😁

Honestly, reading through all these threads makes things feel a bit easier. I’m 18 weeks along and I haven't really hit that "visible bump" stage yet—so I've been spared some of the usual nonsense for now. But since I haven't had any breakouts, one lady actually told me that if a pregnant woman looks too good, she must be having a boy. And of course, there's always someone at the office every single day dropping that classic, “Wow, you don't even look pregnant...”
I’ve already been bombarded with unsolicited advice about whether I’ll have acne, if my hair will thin out, if I’ll gain weight, or what I can and can't eat. It's just an endless loop of "you should do this," "you need to look like that," "buy this cream," or "use this specific oil"—all coming from these random acquaintances who think they know best, despite the fact that I never asked for their opinion.
Then yesterday, a friend decided, without asking, to start poking my stomach and leaning her head against it. I just froze... I wasn't feeling it at all. When she realized I was uncomfortable, she actually got angry and offended. It ended with *me* apologizing to *her* (!). People are ridiculous.

Old wives' tales, passed down from women who think they know everything.

"Don't go screaming and making a scene when you're in labor, or the nurses and the midwife will give you a hard time."

"Back in my day, I was eight months pregnant and still lugging around fifty-pound bags of mulch."

My due date is this Friday, and I’m honestly surprised by how little has actually stressed me out during this pregnancy.

The only thing that's managed to get under my skin is one of my few friends who has kids—as if that somehow makes her an expert on pregnancy, labor, and parenting.

Her: "Are you nervous? Or scared?"
Me: "No, I'm actually feeling pretty relaxed and excited."
Her: "Don't be nervous, though; the baby will feel everything."
Me: "But I'm not even—" (I can't even finish my sentence)
Her: "There's no reason to be afraid; childbirth is such a beautiful experience."

🤔Is she even listening to me?

I have to say, I’ve been genuinely surprised by the sheer number of women in my circle lately—just casual acquaintances, really, like my dentist and her assistant, a few colleagues at the office, even just random women I run into in my apartment complex, at the grocery store, or while waiting for my maternity appointment. They’ve all been incredibly kind, asking about the pregnancy in such a thoughtful way. Their comments are always so soothing and supportive; they share their own experiences without being intrusive, and everyone seems to wish me nothing but the best for the delivery. It honestly feels as if I’ve suddenly been inducted into some sort of secret club where everyone is remarkably sweet! I’m noticing this so much more because, truth be told, I don't think I was ever that warm or attentive toward pregnant women in the past—mostly just because I’ve never been pregnant myself—and now I feel a bit guilty about it... I suppose I’ll make sure to pay this kindness forward to some expectant mother down the road. 🙂

So, here we go again:

Apparently, my stomach is public property now. Great.

Keep your hands to yourselves!

I’m way too close to my due date to deal with this, but next time, I’m definitely getting that "DO NOT TOUCH THE BELLY" print on a T-shirt (pretty sure someone mentioned that idea here) and wearing it everywhere I go. 🙄

stormygardener28 said:It honestly drives me crazy that I end up staining every single shirt I own with food; I suppose it’s just because my stomach makes it impossible to lean in close enough to the table while I'm eating.

hahaha so it’s not just me then? Honestly, it's getting embarrassing... always walking around covered in stains and the absolute worst part is when I don't even realize it until later!!!

God, I am so over all this "unsolicited advice." It’s driving me insane. I don’t even ask for anyone's opinion, yet people just start lecturing me out of nowhere. It starts with the most basic, patronizing stuff—like, "Oh, you shouldn't eat that," or "Actually, you can have this, but not that!" (when I was doing everything perfectly fine before!). Maybe it sounds a little mean, but it’s seriously getting under my skin how everyone treats me like I’m some fragile porcelain doll just because I’m sick. Heaven forbid I try to lift anything heavier than a spoon or a glass without someone hovering... and then, the second I actually *need* a hand with something? Suddenly, everyone’s busy or playing dumb! And now the commentary on driving while pregnant has started. Am I supposed to just stop driving altogether?? Why??? Because nobody can give me a straight answer!!

But honestly, the absolute worst part: I’ll be venting about how pissed off I was earlier that day, and someone will just chime in with, "Hiii! Oh, you shouldn't be angry right now!" Like, excuse me? Who asked you? I just shut up and walked away.

And currently, the entire neighborhood is acting like they’re experts on my due date!! Everyone is convinced I’m going to go into labor at least two weeks early just because my bump is huge, and it’s so incredibly annoying. All their guessing is just adding unnecessary pressure to my life!!!

mellowridge66 said:God, I am so over all this "unsolicited advice." It’s driving me insane. I don’t even ask for anyone's opinion, yet people just start lecturing me out of nowhere. It starts with the most basic, patronizing stuff—like, "Oh, you shouldn't eat that," or "Actually, you can have this, but not that!" (when I was doing everything perfectly fine before!). Maybe it sounds a little mean, but it’s seriously getting under my skin how everyone treats me like I’m some fragile porcelain doll just because I’m sick. Heaven forbid I try to lift anything heavier than a spoon or a glass without someone hovering... and then, the second I actually *need* a hand with something? Suddenly, everyone’s busy or playing dumb! And now the commentary on driving while pregnant has started. Am I supposed to just stop driving altogether?? Why??? Because nobody can give me a straight answer!!

But honestly, the absolute worst part: I’ll be venting about how pissed off I was earlier that day, and someone will just chime in with, "Hiii! Oh, you shouldn't be angry right now!" Like, excuse me? Who asked you? I just shut up and walked away.

And currently, the entire neighborhood is acting like they’re experts on my due date!! Everyone is convinced I’m going to go into labor at least two weeks early just because my bump is huge, and it’s so incredibly annoying. All their guessing is just adding unnecessary pressure to my life!!!

Just tell them their advice is ridiculous, that you aren't interested, that you have no intention of following it, and to just shut up. Don't listen to them, cut them off mid-sentence, walk out of the room, ignore their questions, or just stop hanging out with them entirely.

To all the other pregnant women out there, I don't know how you put up with it; I'm not pregnant, and I never have been, but I certainly wouldn't let some idiot lecture me, nor would I even bother listening to them. At the very least, I’d walk away or just stop associating with them.
If I'm absolutely forced to be in the same room, I’ll just interrupt them halfway through a sentence and keep doing that until they finally fall silent.

God, this sucks.

I can't touch anything sweet, and I definitely can't touch anything salty, otherwise I swell up like a balloon. I’ve been playing by the rules my whole pregnancy, but last week I finally cracked. I just wanted to devour a regular sandwich with some deli meat, and—surprise, surprise—I swelled right up. My OB-GYN basically chewed me out for eating processed stuff like salami and sausages for three days straight. Honestly, she's not wrong.

But now I’m stuck. I have no idea what to eat anymore. I am so sick of fruit, veggies, and grilled chicken or fish. I just want to eat like a normal person—something fried, something stuffed, maybe even some fries.😢

Whatever. Only 3.5 weeks left.

And yeah, I’ve already mentioned how much it drives me crazy when random or semi-famous idiots start grabbing at my stomach. That constant poking. Honestly, I don't remember signing any paperwork to become public property.

My due date is right in the middle of December, so I’ve already got people planning little Christmas baby reveal parties at their get-togethers, while others are trying to play the math game with when they should come visit during the holidays.
Honestly, I can be such a bit of a misanthrope sometimes—and look, when I’m actually in a good mood—but there is absolutely no way I’m parading my newborn around for the masses just two weeks after giving birth... and don't even get me started on hosting people!
I might let my parents swing by (mine and his, obviously—they're a whole different breed of human altogether!) and maybe those two close friends who are chill enough to help themselves to the fridge and leave whenever I tell them I've had enough...

Honestly, everything is just getting on my nerves lately. 😳
I’m craving coffee, but even the thought of it makes me feel nauseous.
My digestion has basically ground to a halt. 🙂
And the smell sensitivity? It's unreal. Everything stinks—from the dog and hairspray to random plants and flowers.
Then there's the constant weakness and nausea.
But the absolute worst part is how incredibly greasy I feel all the time. I have zero motivation; everything feels like such an uphill battle. I'm only in my third month, and reading stories on here about how other pregnant women are full of energy just makes me feel even more depressed.
So, yeah... there's plenty more where that came from. 🥳

Don't let the blues get you down! I’ve been feeling absolutely wiped out lately—just totally drained from morning until night, and the nausea is constant. It’s like my battery is stuck at zero.
I’m honestly so lucky to have three days off work coming up; otherwise, I’d be struggling just to make it through the commute, and then I'd basically collapse straight into bed the second I got home.
Fingers crossed that the next quarter of the year treats us a little better! 😁

If I'm being honest, my mom is really getting on my nerves about all of this. She calls me every single day asking if I've gone for a walk yet (she gets so worked up because I’ve struggled with my weight since before I was pregnant, and she's obsessed with it)
And when I try to explain that I haven't moved because I feel so sick, she starts giving me this whole lecture about how it's "all in my head" and that I just need to go outside and clear my mind.
Next time she brings it up, I might just tell her I actually went for a full sprint up Mount Rainier and back! 😬

Same exact thing happening over here, only I'm three months in and I've got absolutely nothing left in the tank, just zero energy, sleeping all day long, and everything smells like garbage... Ugh...

The nausea is starting to subside, thank God.
I’m also not feeling quite as exhausted as I was at the start, though I've just become incredibly lazy! :eek I honestly have zero motivation for anything right now.
Plus, I don't even have to work 🙈

It totally caught up with me on Tuesday, and honestly, I’m still feeling it...
I don't even get why they call it morning sickness—my longest break isn't even until around 10:30 AM, and then it basically just lingers all day long until it finally wears me down by evening.
The worst part is the nausea; I managed to throw up once, but that tiny bit of relief didn't even last a second.

And yeah, just like Jonathan Cox4 was saying, everything smells absolutely revolting right now. Okay, look, there were always certain things that bugged me—like heavy perfumes and stuff—but now? Everything is gross, even the mere thought of food makes me want to die.
The whole "losing my life to this" thing is a different story—I mean, I kind of expected that and I'm fine with it—but this? This is just infuriating. It’s this stupid, helpless feeling where I can just lie here on the couch and wait for this first trimester to finally pass. And I've barely even started...🙂

Wrong thread 😬

The nausea 😠 isn't being triggered by people or hormone fluctuations, yet somehow 🙂

it's been 15 days and they still haven't gone away 🙄