What were your biggest pregnancy surprises and pet peeves?

restlesssailor90 said:I’ve been through the absolute wringer during this pregnancy—dealing with everything from gestational diabetes to those annoying varicose veins—and honestly, I am just counting down the days until I can have my old body back. It’s incredibly frustrating when none of my clothes fit anymore; I feel like a total elephant, which is especially annoying since I actually gained about half as much weight as I did with my first child. All in all, I don't exactly feel like I'm at my most attractive right now... 🕺

Total mood! I am so ready to get back into my high-waisted jeans🎉

Douglas Baker2 said:Total mood! I am so ready to get back into my high-waisted jeans🎉

As for me, I'm just waiting on my trail runners...

As for me, I’m just over here looking forward to my crisp, perfectly ironed shirts and tees! :-)

I never sleep on my stomach, but honestly, when I’m absolutely wiped, there is nothing better than just flopping face-down onto the bed 😁 Ugh, pure bliss—even if the actual feeling lasts maybe ten seconds before you shift again

p.s. I actually did this by accident the other day and my husband caught me mid-flop 🤣

And what really gets under my skin—ugh, seriously—is how I can listen to anyone’s advice, be perfectly polite and pleasant to everyone, but the second someone hits me with a "Just you wait..." it drives me absolutely insane

I think that whole "you'll see" line makes everyone's skin crawl. And honestly, it’s not just pregnant women. It’s basically what people say when they've run out of actual arguments and just need to have the last word.

E, bravo Thomas Scott5, you hit the nail right on the head!! I am 100% with you on this one. 🙂

Aaaaajme!!!!! Just you wait, you guys—there's gonna be zero pristine walls or perfectly tidy living rooms left in this house. No more working out, no more "this" and "that" constant nagging! OMG!!!! That stuff is easily my number one biggest pet peeve!

Nicholas Carter6 said:As for me, I'm just waiting on my trail runners...

😁
I think I'll probably go for one last run this Friday before I officially hang up the sneakers until spring 🙂

Honestly, those guys in their 30s who hit you with that "just you wait..." line when they have zero intention of actually having kids really get under my skin, though I used to let it bother me way more—now I just kind of zone out and move on.

It’s also super annoying that even at 28 weeks, I’m still dealing with morning sickness and feeling stuck eating the same ten bland foods that don't trigger my heartburn, because man, I am seriously craving real flavors right now.

But hey, at least my hair has been looking absolutely gorgeous since I became pregnant, so I guess there's a silver lining! 🙂

It was quite surprising to see how visibly uncomfortable everyone seems about the fact that we are expecting a boy. We aren't even hiding it.
Both families have reacted this way. My mother-in-law didn't bother masking her disappointment, while my own mother remained indifferent, knowing I felt the same way.
With four girls in our family, I might have understood some disappointment if it were all boys, but this is different...
It is truly baffling.
To make matters worse, my husband’s aunt—who doesn't have children herself, by the way—keeps lecturing him about waiting for a boy. She makes these crude jokes about how only "real men" can produce a son and such nonsense. We went through IVF. This wasn't a matter of traditional conception, though she clearly fails to grasp that.

Then there are the unsolicited marriage and relationship tips following the baby's arrival. These come from women who have barely been married for two months before having a child.
I have been with my husband for fifteen years and we are in our eighth year of marriage. I believe we have already mastered the complexities of our relationship.

Patrick Brown3 said:It was quite surprising to see how visibly uncomfortable everyone seems about the fact that we are expecting a boy. We aren't even hiding it.
Both families have reacted this way. My mother-in-law didn't bother masking her disappointment, while my own mother remained indifferent, knowing I felt the same way.
With four girls in our family, I might have understood some disappointment if it were all boys, but this is different...
It is truly baffling.
To make matters worse, my husband’s aunt—who doesn't have children herself, by the way—keeps lecturing him about waiting for a boy. She makes these crude jokes about how only "real men" can produce a son and such nonsense. We went through IVF. This wasn't a matter of traditional conception, though she clearly fails to grasp that.

Then there are the unsolicited marriage and relationship tips following the baby's arrival. These come from women who have barely been married for two months before having a child.
I have been with my husband for fifteen years and we are in our eighth year of marriage. I believe we have already mastered the complexities of our relationship.

You know, even my side of the family reacted to the news without holding back their disappointment. Some of them actually said it out loud, like, "Oh man, we really wanted a girl."
Honestly, that kind of stuff really stung.

Things have settled down now, but in the beginning, it was just... pretty ugly.

What kind of crowd 🤣
Honestly, does anyone even pause for a single millisecond before just blabbing out nonsense like that? 😵

I personally try to view everything through a lens of sarcasm—just to make things a bit easier to stomach. It doesn't always work immediately, but it helps later on when I'm recounting a scene to my husband... then we can both just laugh about how ridiculous it was.

From the very start of my pregnancy, I was convinced I was having a boy—and yep, turns out my gut was right. But my fiancé’s reaction? He basically goes, "Well, at least it's a boy... girls just end up being too spoiled anyway." 🤦
What does he mean, "spoiled"? Is he planning on running a little patriarchy over there, or is he just a total chauvinist?

Steven Walker3 said:From the very start of my pregnancy, I was convinced I was having a boy—and yep, turns out my gut was right. But my fiancé’s reaction? He basically goes, "Well, at least it's a boy... girls just end up being too spoiled anyway." 🤦
What does he mean, "spoiled"? Is he planning on running a little patriarchy over there, or is he just a total chauvinist?

My own mother basically told me I’m a failure as a woman just because I won't give her a granddaughter instead of a grandson! 😁
And honestly, let's just skip to the part where I wish it was a girl too!
Seriously though, until recently, she wouldn't even accept that I was having a boy. She kept telling me how she spends every single weekend at church praying for a girl instead. And get this—she claims her whole extended family is backing her up, like everyone is sitting around praying for a little girl!

So she spent every single weekend praying for a girl?!! And then her mother-in-law goes and cuts my 🤣

But honestly, at the end of the day, it all just comes down to that old saying about how everyone has their own way of doing things 🙂
Whenever something really gets under my skin—especially when people won't shut up—I think back to what my dad used to tell me. He’d say, "Look, honey, God gave you two ears for a reason: one to let stuff in and one to let it right back out." And it clearly works, because I can't remember a single time I saw my dad lose his cool over some idiot's nonsense 🙂

I am absolutely thrilled to be having a boy, and frankly, I find it quite irritating how much more joyful that makes me feel compared to those who disagree. 😁
What does anyone else care what my husband and I end up with? This is our child.
And then there is the endless stream of advice on how to dress him and handle him...
One person says he needs to go this way, another says that way, or this or that.
My mother last changed a baby boy forty years ago, yet she acts like an expert on everything.
I suppose some of it might be useful, but the nurses at the hospital and the home health aides will show me the ropes.

Ugh, oh man... advice! 😁
It’s always the same thing—everyone thinks they're some kind of genius, right? If I grab ten random people off the street in Chicago and ask them the exact same question, they’ll all swear they have the perfect answer, but you won't get two people saying the same thing!

But honestly? My favorite part is when I don't even *ask* for help, and they still start lecturing me like I'm clueless. Like, I'll be out driving somewhere and some lady's grandma friend pulls up next to me, starts interrogating me about everything under the sun, and then has the nerve to ask if my nipples are good enough for breastfeeding. Like, how am I supposed to know if they're "good"? What, you want me to pull one out right here on the highway so you can inspect it? 😁

jadebear56 said:Ugh, oh man... advice! 😁
It’s always the same thing—everyone thinks they're some kind of genius, right? If I grab ten random people off the street in Chicago and ask them the exact same question, they’ll all swear they have the perfect answer, but you won't get two people saying the same thing!

But honestly? My favorite part is when I don't even *ask* for help, and they still start lecturing me like I'm clueless. Like, I'll be out driving somewhere and some lady's grandma friend pulls up next to me, starts interrogating me about everything under the sun, and then has the nerve to ask if my nipples are good enough for breastfeeding. Like, how am I supposed to know if they're "good"? What, you want me to pull one out right here on the highway so you can inspect it? 😁

It would be hilarious to see the look on her face if I just told her, "Here, take it and try nursing yourself"🤣🤣🤣

Sorry, that was a little gross. 🤣

This constant itching down there—I can't even tell you what's causing it anymore—and this nonstop discharge... it’s reached a point where it’s just unbearable. I feel like I have to go through the motions of cleaning myself ten times a day and applying ointments just to get through the afternoon. It's exhausting.

I feel like I’m starting to spread out in every direction... :/
Until recently, I was constantly hitting the pavement, logging massive mileage and pushing myself through endless marathons, but now? It feels like I've completely lost my rhythm.
I honestly don't even recognize my own body or how it responds anymore....😢

Honestly, my biggest disappointment has been the absolute lack of basic decency you see in waiting rooms and on public transit. Now that I’m pregnant, I can only say thanks to everyone who shoved past me on the bus or the subway just to get off first. Thanks for completely ignoring the fact that standing for 30 minutes is physically exhausting, and for certainly not offering me a seat. And a huge thanks to those who started grumbling when someone actually had the common sense to let me board first. Seriously, thank you to my fellow Americans for showing me your true colors. It’s nice to know you'd all rather stop to help a stray cat in the street than give up a seat to someone who actually needs it.