What were your biggest pregnancy surprises and pet peeves?

It’s great that you’re self-aware about it. Sometimes when I have nightmares, I wake up feeling totally disoriented, like I can't tell if I'm still dreaming or actually awake for a few minutes. They can feel incredibly real...
During one part of my pregnancy—around the start of the second trimester—they happened way more often, but that was just a phase and they've stopped now. Those hormones really mess with your head, and honestly, any big life change can trigger those old fears...

Justin Rivera17 said:Anyone else here deal with absolute nightmare fuel during sleep?

I went through this during my first pregnancy, too. It was brutal. And I’m not talking about some childish nonsense—you know, being chased by monsters or whatever. I mean actual, gritty, hyper-realistic scenarios that play out in high definition. It’s honestly nauseating.

Some of them are straight-up terrifying—like, even a gritty HBO crime drama wouldn't dare depict them—while others are just completely draining. Real-life stuff. War zones, massive floods, seeing a car burst into flames, an assault... or those deep-seated parental fears that just won't quit. And the absolute worst part? A part of my brain stays wide awake knowing it’s all just a dream, so I end up overanalyzing the whole mess while it's actually happening.

I've already gotten used to them, but man, I am never gonna get used to sleep paralysis...

Funny thing—ever since I had my kid, the nightmares just stopped. Used to have them all the time before and even during the pregnancy. Now, it’s just these wild, vivid dreams instead.

Man, sleep paralysis is just straight-up terrifying—it’s like a constant loop of nightmares 😯 I was honestly just hoping for some peace while I was pregnant, but nope! I had night terrors throughout the first and second trimesters too. It started with this heavy, heartbreaking dream about working to save a baby that couldn't even survive outside my body yet... plus all these totally bizarre, nonsensical dreams that made zero sense. Now that I'm getting toward the end, I'm either completely passed out or just totally out of it, so the dreams have tapered off a bit, or at least I don't remember them as much.

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The whole "eat a diverse diet" advice is honestly driving me nuts. How am I supposed to vary things when half of it is strictly off-limits? I’m working—and planning to keep at it for a while since the pay gap is too huge to ignore—and luckily, the job isn't physically draining. Between managing one kid and having a husband who works on cargo ships, I’m essentially flying solo most of the time. I don't have the luxury of spending hours meal prepping or cooking elaborate dishes. For two months now, my breakfast has been the exact same thing: a ham and cheese sandwich. I can't touch deli meats or cured meats because they're raw, salads are out due to Listeria concerns, pâtés are a no-go, pastries are way too greasy, and donuts or croissants are just pure sugar bombs. Even yogurt and fruit leave me starving almost immediately. 🙂 I usually grab lunch at my mom's place and keep dinner light—sometimes skipping it entirely since I’m not much of a dinner person—but by midnight, I’ve already put on 4+ pounds. Honestly, I’m not even worried about the weight; I gained 60 pounds during my last pregnancy and dropped it all in less than a year. Still, the lack of options is annoying. "Diverse diet," my ass.

Wait, so you're telling me you don't eat any raw veggies at all? 🤔

Jerry Bailey47, please don't worry about it. During my first pregnancy, I dealt with such intense nausea that I could barely eat anything at all, and my OB-GYN assured me that the baby would simply draw whatever nutrients it needed from my own reserves.
As for me, I don't touch dairy products whatsoever; they just make me feel unwell.

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I’ve eaten basically everything... especially all the deli meats... the local, homemade stuff... there is zero chance I'm passing that up...
And you can bet I'm getting my salad too...
Plus some real farm-fresh cheese and sour cream, eggs... you name it...
I haven't avoided a single thing.

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driftingcanyon16 said:Wait, so you're telling me you don't eat any raw veggies at all? 🤔

Oh, I eat them—I just stay away from leafy greens like lettuce or cabbage. Tomatoes and cucumbers are fine. But I’m talking about those days when I have to grab lunch on the go since I work until 5:00 PM—there’s nothing decent to pick up at a Corpus Christi grocery store besides pizza and pasta. Usually, I manage to find some healthy options at
one of those raw food spots, but I can't right now. That's my point.

I’ll eat just about anything you put in front of me.
With salads, I usually just give them a quick rinse and call it a day. As for jerky, I only touch the local, butcher-shop style stuff.

To be honest, being pregnant has made me a little irritable toward other moms or expectant mothers. Some people go to such ridiculous extremes with their pregnancy habits that I just have to look the other way. It’s not like I’m one of those intense types myself, so those people don't really try to strike up much of a conversation with me either.🤣

I went into this thinking everything would drive me crazy during my pregnancy, but surprisingly, nothing gets under my skin. If anything, I’m becoming too chill—almost phlegmatic. Even when some stranger randomly reaches out to touch my belly, it doesn't bother me at all.😬

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Look, everyone is an expert. I don't have any homegrown stuff—I live in the city and buy everything at the farmer's market—so tracking the exact origin isn't really an option for me. And honestly, when you're dining out, there's zero way to know if that salad was actually washed properly. Besides, I’m too terrified of being overly cautious—though maybe I am—since we've had a Listeria scare in my family during a pregnancy, plus a positive toxoplasmosis test from raw meat... and that wasn't even from a cat, just someone eating restaurant carpaccio. I'd rather just eat buttered pasta for the rest of my pregnancy than risk it.

shadowcrane91 said:I’ve eaten basically everything... especially all the deli meats... the local, homemade stuff... there is zero chance I'm passing that up...
And you can bet I'm getting my salad too...
Plus some real farm-fresh cheese and sour cream, eggs... you name it...
I haven't avoided a single thing.

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For me, it’s basically canned meat, hot dogs, and tea every single day... honestly, I have no clue what else to eat for breakfast or dinner besides lunch meat 😉 occasionally I'll grab some Smucker's jam, but mostly it's just sandwiches with deli meat...
I'll have yogurt and stuff, but that's just an accompaniment to the sandwich😉

As for people, nothing really gets under my skin or irritates me... either I have nerves of steel or I just haven't run into any truly obnoxious people yet—real energy vampires... seriously, nobody has managed to rattle me so far... except there's this neighbor across the hall... she's three years younger than me but thinks she's "so brilliant"... she keeps trying to drop these little comments on me every now and then—like, one morning I spent the entire time at the hospital with a friend who had just lost her baby (and coincidentally, it was one of those weeks where it feels like every tragedy is hitting all at once)... but her chatter doesn't move the needle for me... I don't get worked up over her... I just prefer not to see her when I'm out on my balcony

shadowcrane91 said:I’ve eaten basically everything... especially all the deli meats... the local, homemade stuff... there is zero chance I'm passing that up...
And you can bet I'm getting my salad too...
Plus some real farm-fresh cheese and sour cream, eggs... you name it...
I haven't avoided a single thing.

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I’m with her on this, and I'd add pâté and chicken livers to the list—that sad little liver was basically my only craving during the whole pregnancy.🤣

It honestly drives me up the wall when I see those comments, you know? People acting like they have some kind of authority on my life, saying things like, "Well, if you had just managed your time better, you'd be at the age where 🤦 🙂
" As if! Honestly, if it wasn't for those unexpected setbacks and life just throwing curveballs my way, I would have been a mom three years ago already...

Shakespeare:

Tinker Bell As specified by: I’m signing off on this one—and honestly, I’d add a side of pâté and chicken liver to the mix. During my pregnancy, that damn liver was the only thing I actually craved. 🤣

She choked on some liver one evening—pork, I think—but honestly, it could have been anyone's. I didn't even realize there was a rule against it in the first place. People always harp on about how it’s packed with iron and all that good stuff—now, suddenly, it's supposedly bad for you? Give me a break.

Whatever, man... I don't see the big deal. I'll grab a sandwich and eat it outside the restaurant, or just hit up a McDonald's...
I've got cats too...

Honestly, what really gets under my skin is people touching my stomach. Random strangers and everyone else—except for my husband and kids.

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Honestly, I’ve been feeling pretty unbothered lately. Nothing really gets under my skin—not even the comments or someone touching my stomach... just those typical hormonal shifts doing their thing. I have my little emotional outbursts here and there, usually directed at my boyfriend, but that's about it. I used to get so annoyed by people who overcomplicate everything—you know, those moms with all their intense theories and ideas, acting like if they don't feed their kids some superfood diet or enroll them in specialized enrichment programs, they won't turn out to be geniuses 🙂 But even that isn't really getting to me right now. I mostly just tune it all out...

Jerry Bailey47 said:Oh, I eat them—I just stay away from leafy greens like lettuce or cabbage. Tomatoes and cucumbers are fine. But I’m talking about those days when I have to grab lunch on the go since I work until 5:00 PM—there’s nothing decent to pick up at a Corpus Christi grocery store besides pizza and pasta. Usually, I manage to find some healthy options at
one of those raw food spots, but I can't right now. That's my point.

I don't get why you won't eat salad even at home. Just wash it better than usual and move on.

Nothing is bothering me right now. I'm feeling pretty chill. 😎

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Honestly, I’ve gone so crazy during this pregnancy that I actually found myself craving sushi. Apparently, the latest research coming out of the States says it's totally fine as long as you're sticking to salmon and shrimp instead of things like shark or tuna. Plus, I tested negative for toxo, so there's that.

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silentnomad8 said:I don't get why you won't eat salad even at home. Just wash it better than usual and move on.

Nothing is bothering me right now. I'm feeling pretty chill. 😎

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Speaking of which... I actually think organic produce can be a bigger risk sometimes, especially things like sprouts—which show up in veggie burgers all the time—when it comes to bacterial contamination. I mean, if they're using animal manure as fertilizer? I'm pretty sure there are studies out there pointing to that. Plus, products from smaller farms or local cooperatives might not have such strict oversight, and if there are cats wandering around the fields, you've got a real chance of dealing with toxoplasmosis. There isn't much you can do about that part, really... it's just a bit of luck.

My own rule of thumb is just to wash everything well, like, multiple times. And stay away from raw meat or unpasteurized milk—though honestly, it’s so hard to find those at a place like Walmart these days, unless you're buying from someone out in the countryside or something. Even then...

silentnomad8 said:I don't get why you won't eat salad even at home. Just wash it better than usual and move on.

Nothing is bothering me right now. I'm feeling pretty chill. 😎

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Look, I eat at home—it's just that I'm rarely actually *home*. At best, I'm walking through the door at 6:00 PM, but usually, my afternoons are booked solid.

And I'm with driftingcanyon16 on this one. I mean, can you even wash bacteria away with just water?