What were your biggest pregnancy surprises and pet peeves?

I have been absolutely livid yesterday and today
I got hit with about ten messages from those "friends" who couldn't be bothered to check in on us all summer long,
but they certainly found the energy to send a text—and I use that term loosely—asking that one legendary question: "Is the baby here yet?"
Part of me wanted to just reply "YES" to everyone and then toss my phone into the ocean...
But I didn't. I just didn't have the energy to deal with the drama,
so I decided to just ignore them all...

I’ve just welcomed my third little one into the world, born this past July 20th. Every single time you go through this, you end up hearing the same endless cycle of nonsense from people—constant questions about whether you're "all in one piece" or if you're planning on having more. It feels like human stupidity truly knows no bounds. When you consider everything a pregnant woman goes through—and we all know the drill with the back pain, bladder issues, and those constant bouts of nausea—it’s exhausting enough. On top of all that, I was also looking after my family during this time, yet I didn't complain to anyone because, honestly, I felt fine right up until the very end.
A few weeks ago, a neighbor of mine really got under my skin. She’s a younger woman, a mother of two, and a teacher by profession, and she had the audacity to comment that she hadn't even realized I was pregnant again. Like, how is that even possible?! Seriously, give me a break. My bump was impossible to miss, yet she claims she saw nothing... Honestly, it's just ridiculous.

Hang in there, ladies. Sending love to you all!

Ugh, I’m seriously losing my mind today... I just have to vent about this...😠 So, I’m talking to my mother-in-law, right? And I mention that we’re heading out to pick up some little things for my uncle’s gift. She hits me with this, "Don't bother buying too much, you know people will bring stuff when they come to visit." Like, seriously?😵 As if I’m just sitting here with my arms crossed waiting for handouts. And even if someone *does* want to bring something, they aren't showing up before the baby is born—I told her, it'll be at least a month and a half after, and until then, I’ll be dressing the kid in hand-me-downs... honestly, people can be so incredibly shortsighted. Then we get onto the topic of diapers, and I tell her I need to grab some cloth ones too, and she's like, "Why bother with cloth? Nobody uses those anymore, just stick to disposables." Well, excuse me, but I need to have them ready at least two months before the pediatrician checks the baby's hips. And then she starts making excuses, saying this is her first time hearing about it, that her 9 and 11-year-old grandkids didn't use them, and even her three sons thirty years ago didn't use them... God, give me strength, I'm about to lose it.😠 I swear my blood pressure is through the roof right now. If I don't know something or if I'm not following the "old way," I could at least try to be subtle about it, right?

Hey ladies, I’m not actually pregnant or anything, but I read all your posts constantly and you guys are honestly the best! 😍

Hope you don't mind me chiming in here, but I really had to jump on what Harold Cook2 was saying... My cousin was about 36 or 37 weeks along, everything was already bought and ready to go, except they were still missing baby towels and her aunt promised she'd grab them.....

So there I am, talking to my man (we were stuck at the ER with his mom because she wrenched her arm—ugh, we were waiting for hoursss) about how we seriously need to hit the stores this weekend since the baby is basically due and I haven't picked up those towels yet.... and then my mother-in-law just goes, "just wait a little longer." My first thought was—lady, you have ten brand new baby towels sitting in your closet right now, you're totally gonna give them to us..... so I ask her, "why?" and she tells me, "it's too early!"

Wtf? What am I waiting for, until the kid starts college? 🤷 🤷 🤷

I'm seriously considering just not telling her I'm pregnant... honestly, when the time comes, I might just keep it to myself 😍

If we hadn't been stuck at the ER..... it would probably be better if the kid just showed up home naked and barefoot and THEN the parents go shopping because "anything could happen," right? 👍

Yeah, people are giving me grief because we're waiting until the 34th week to go pick out a crib...

If you ask me, mothers-in-law are just a breed of their own—completely unpredictable. 😂

I have to admit, those constant "old wives' tales" and unsolicited advice used to drive me absolutely up the wall... I tried my best to just tune it all out and follow my own intuition. I’d stick to my routine—washing my hair once a week, drying off, getting the dishes done, and making sure we had everything ready, from the crib to all the tiny little baby clothes. I even made sure to get the laundry washed and dried every single night just to stay ahead of things... all while she kept rambling on about her way of doing things.
Honestly, don't let them get under your skin too much; at the end of the day, this is your baby, and you should absolutely trust your gut on what's best.
For me, though, if I’m being totally honest, the thing that actually bothered me more than the nagging was dealing with those nasty stretch marks I ended up with. 😁

Ugh, I am seriously losing my mind with all the stuff I keep overhearing... 🙄 (not even counting those constant 😲 comments from my mother-in-law whenever she catches a glimpse of my belly...)

Scene 1:
Random Guy: "So, when's the big day?"
Me: "November 10th."
Random Guy: "Oh man, that’s a Scorpio... uhh... maybe you should try to push it back so it's a Sagittarius instead."
WTF?

Scene 2: (My friend's mom)
Her: "Oh my goodness, you look like you're about to pop!"
Me: 🙄
Her: "How much longer?"
Me: "6 weeks."
Her: "Gosh, I just hope you can make it through two more weeks so you hit the third trimester and can finally catch your breath. Is it a girl or a boy?"
Me: "Nope..." It's Johnny 😍
Her: "Aw, it's such a shame it's not a girl, especially since he already has a sonb> (yeah, he has a son from a previous marriage)...
😲
And oh my gosh, how many times have I heard variations of that exact same thing... "Oh, another little boy..." "Ah, it would've been better if it were a girl since he already has a son..."
I mean, seriously... so what if he already has a son? So what, he gets to have another one too! ☕ Besides, this is my very first baby... 😍
Honestly, everyone needs to just get off my back (as Tony would say) 🤣

And as far as shopping for clothes and gear goes... honestly, I would have loved to start buying everything the second I found out I was pregnant, but hey, who am I kidding, nobody's letting me do anything! 🤣

fadedscout2 said:Ugh, I am seriously losing my mind with all the stuff I keep overhearing... 🙄 (not even counting those constant 😲 comments from my mother-in-law whenever she catches a glimpse of my belly...)

Scene 1:
Random Guy: "So, when's the big day?"
Me: "November 10th."
Random Guy: "Oh man, that’s a Scorpio... uhh... maybe you should try to push it back so it's a Sagittarius instead."
WTF?

Scene 2: (My friend's mom)
Her: "Oh my goodness, you look like you're about to pop!"
Me: 🙄
Her: "How much longer?"
Me: "6 weeks."
Her: "Gosh, I just hope you can make it through two more weeks so you hit the third trimester and can finally catch your breath. Is it a girl or a boy?"
Me: "Nope..." It's Johnny 😍
Her: "Aw, it's such a shame it's not a girl, especially since he already has a sonb> (yeah, he has a son from a previous marriage)...
😲
And oh my gosh, how many times have I heard variations of that exact same thing... "Oh, another little boy..." "Ah, it would've been better if it were a girl since he already has a son..."
I mean, seriously... so what if he already has a son? So what, he gets to have another one too! ☕ Besides, this is my very first baby... 😍
Honestly, everyone needs to just get off my back (as Tony would say) 🤣

And as far as shopping for clothes and gear goes... honestly, I would have loved to start buying everything the second I found out I was pregnant, but hey, who am I kidding, nobody's letting me do anything! 🤣

I honestly don't get people who act all judgmental just because I'm a Scorpio 😠. I’m actually pretty proud of it, and honestly, so is my husband since he's a Scorpio too...

I mean, someone has to be born under that sign, right? 😠

Technically, I should have been an Aries, so my mom actually suggested I try to move the baby around a bit so it wouldn't end up being too much of a troublemaker... 😕😕

fadedscout2 said:Ugh, I am seriously losing my mind with all the stuff I keep overhearing... 🙄 (not even counting those constant 😲 comments from my mother-in-law whenever she catches a glimpse of my belly...)

Scene 1:
Random Guy: "So, when's the big day?"
Me: "November 10th."
Random Guy: "Oh man, that’s a Scorpio... uhh... maybe you should try to push it back so it's a Sagittarius instead."
WTF?

Scene 2: (My friend's mom)
Her: "Oh my goodness, you look like you're about to pop!"
Me: 🙄
Her: "How much longer?"
Me: "6 weeks."
Her: "Gosh, I just hope you can make it through two more weeks so you hit the third trimester and can finally catch your breath. Is it a girl or a boy?"
Me: "Nope..." It's Johnny 😍
Her: "Aw, it's such a shame it's not a girl, especially since he already has a sonb> (yeah, he has a son from a previous marriage)...
😲
And oh my gosh, how many times have I heard variations of that exact same thing... "Oh, another little boy..." "Ah, it would've been better if it were a girl since he already has a son..."
I mean, seriously... so what if he already has a son? So what, he gets to have another one too! ☕ Besides, this is my very first baby... 😍
Honestly, everyone needs to just get off my back (as Tony would say) 🤣

And as far as shopping for clothes and gear goes... honestly, I would have loved to start buying everything the second I found out I was pregnant, but hey, who am I kidding, nobody's letting me do anything! 🤣

Exactly 😂😂
When the deadline hits, what on earth are they talking about with this Scorpio nonsense?! My response is simple—who cares? Let them deal with it!
Seriously, enough with the Scorpio thing... it’s getting on my nerves.
Then they start trying to figure out which of their acquaintances fits the Scorpio profile and the speculation begins... As if I actually give a damn.☕

Harold Cook2 said:My husband and I agreed that if it's a girl, he decides, and if it's a boy, I decide—since my turn came up, I'll admit none of the masculine names are absolutely gorgeous to me, but I narrowed it down and would go with Noah, short and sweet and fine by me. And now people are acting shocked😛 like I just said something offensive or disgusting... but I'm the one carrying him for 9 months, I'm the one doing all the work to bring him into this world, so I'm the one deciding... right?

It also totally drives me nuts when they tell me, "Oh wow, you're pregnant? We can't even tell..." and I'm already 6 months along...😠

Honestly, Noah has been everywhere lately—it feels like it's practically trending. I know three little ones born in the last couple of years who are named Noah. Even back when we didn't know the gender yet, we were cycling through names, and we all agreed Noah was pretty, just maybe a bit too popular right now.. 🤷 As for why these people are making such a big deal out of it... I have no idea..

David Mendoza97 said:Hey ladies, I’m not actually pregnant or anything, but I read all your posts constantly and you guys are honestly the best! 😍

Hope you don't mind me chiming in here, but I really had to jump on what Harold Cook2 was saying... My cousin was about 36 or 37 weeks along, everything was already bought and ready to go, except they were still missing baby towels and her aunt promised she'd grab them.....

So there I am, talking to my man (we were stuck at the ER with his mom because she wrenched her arm—ugh, we were waiting for hoursss) about how we seriously need to hit the stores this weekend since the baby is basically due and I haven't picked up those towels yet.... and then my mother-in-law just goes, "just wait a little longer." My first thought was—lady, you have ten brand new baby towels sitting in your closet right now, you're totally gonna give them to us..... so I ask her, "why?" and she tells me, "it's too early!"

Wtf? What am I waiting for, until the kid starts college? 🤷 🤷 🤷

I'm seriously considering just not telling her I'm pregnant... honestly, when the time comes, I might just keep it to myself 😍

If we hadn't been stuck at the ER..... it would probably be better if the kid just showed up home naked and barefoot and THEN the parents go shopping because "anything could happen," right? 👍

Sam White62 said:Yeah, people are giving me grief because we're waiting until the 34th week to go pick out a crib...

Well, tell them this: given that medical outcomes can be unpredictable, and there's a massive chance—like 99.4%—that everything will go perfectly and the baby will come home healthy, you might as well get some things ready ahead of time. ☕

It's not like you're going to regret spending the money if the absolute worst happens. 👎

My pregnancy has been nothing but a series of positive surprises.
I’d be lying if I said there was even one bad thing about it; honestly, I haven't experienced a single negative moment.

The whole experience has been flawless. Even now, right before giving birth, my routine hasn't changed at all. Nothing feels heavy. I sleep fine, move normally, eat normally. No issues with nutrition, zero nausea, no heartburn, no pains, no cramps, no insomnia—I don't even have to run to the bathroom more often than usual.
The baby is active, but I've never felt a single painful kick.

People around me aren't acting like idiots. Nobody is offering unsolicited advice or poking their nose into my private business.

Since my job involves dealing with a huge variety of people every day, all I've received are kind words and sincere congratulations.

I think I've never been this happy or this calm in my entire life. Nothing can rattle me because all that petty nonsense seems completely insignificant compared to my little golden child.

Frankly, I would wish this exact pregnancy on anyone. If this is what being pregnant means, I could do this for the rest of my life.

fadedscout2 said:Ugh, I am seriously losing my mind with all the stuff I keep overhearing... 🙄 (not even counting those constant 😲 comments from my mother-in-law whenever she catches a glimpse of my belly...)

Scene 1:
Random Guy: "So, when's the big day?"
Me: "November 10th."
Random Guy: "Oh man, that’s a Scorpio... uhh... maybe you should try to push it back so it's a Sagittarius instead."
WTF?

Scene 2: (My friend's mom)
Her: "Oh my goodness, you look like you're about to pop!"
Me: 🙄
Her: "How much longer?"
Me: "6 weeks."
Her: "Gosh, I just hope you can make it through two more weeks so you hit the third trimester and can finally catch your breath. Is it a girl or a boy?"
Me: "Nope..." It's Johnny 😍
Her: "Aw, it's such a shame it's not a girl, especially since he already has a sonb> (yeah, he has a son from a previous marriage)...
😲
And oh my gosh, how many times have I heard variations of that exact same thing... "Oh, another little boy..." "Ah, it would've been better if it were a girl since he already has a son..."
I mean, seriously... so what if he already has a son? So what, he gets to have another one too! ☕ Besides, this is my very first baby... 😍
Honestly, everyone needs to just get off my back (as Tony would say) 🤣

And as far as shopping for clothes and gear goes... honestly, I would have loved to start buying everything the second I found out I was pregnant, but hey, who am I kidding, nobody's letting me do anything! 🤣

Finally, after what feels like an absolute eternity, I’ve stumbled upon something in this thread that actually makes me want to lose my mind—I honestly think I’d be absolutely losing it if I were stuck in that situation myself.
And the rest... I don't know. Honestly, I was being a total jerk to a friend too—I actually asked her how much weight she’d put on. God, I felt like such an idiot. I think I might have looked a little surprised when I finally saw her, too, which didn't help, considering she had already gotten pretty huge. 😍
Look, she’s a friend of mine—really—and she says all sorts of things to me. Honestly? I just don't let any of it get to me. I tend to just tune it out.
It doesn't bother me one bit. 🤷

Honestly, I don’t get it—this whole idea that you shouldn't buy gas for a kid... it’s just plain nonsense. I really can't wrap my head around that logic.

Quote:As for why everyone else is acting so shocked... I don't even know.

katjes says: Honestly, 🤷Noah is getting way too common lately. Like, seriously. I know three little kids born just in the last couple of years who all go by Noah. Back when we were trying to figure out if we were having a boy or a girl, we kept tossing names around, and we all agreed Noah was pretty, but maybe just a bit too trendy...

I mean, personally, I don't actually know a single kid named Noah (well, except for this one massive goofball dog in my neighborhood😂), but I couldn't care less. It’s not like it’s some lame dog name compared to all the other ridiculous pet names out there. And yeah, sure, maybe it's popular. I see all these celebs naming their sons Noah everywhere, but honestly? Who cares? Every name goes through these phases where they blow up, and eventually, it'll just be another common name on the list.

Our little one is going to be a Scorpio. My husband is an Aries and I'm a Virgo, so according to the zodiac charts, we shouldn't even work together, yet our marriage is honestly a dream. So much for astrology being destiny.

What really caught me off guard was what my mother-in-law said when she found out:
"Your belly looks so small," and "You don't look like you're carrying a boy at all, more like a girl." (Just for context, we already have a daughter at home, so this is our second child)

1. This has been such a high-risk pregnancy; my doctors were actually worried about potential growth issues, but thankfully everything is looking fine. Because of her comment, I spent two days crying like it was a monsoon season.
2. She’s spent her whole life wishing for a son and never had one, so her remark felt intentionally unkind.

Then there was this one acquaintance who actually told me—get this—that it's STUPID TO GIVE BIRTH IN THE WINTER, BECAUSE WHEN THE KIDS HAVE BIRTHDAYS, YOU JUST DIE OF BOREDOM STAYING INDOORS.😕
She said all this while we were hanging out with our godmother, who had her girls in January and February, whereas I had mine in January and now I'm expecting again in November. (We both luckily didn't face major struggles conceiving, but for any woman trying to start a family, every month that passes without success feels like a nightmare)

I honestly don't get why fat bothers people so much. Like, where exactly are you finding it? Are you walking through life being fat, pushing things while being fat, or just wondering how much more fat there is to deal with...? 🙄🙄🙄
Being fat is such a ridiculous thing to obsess over. 😛

My partner and I have been getting hammered with calls all day long... honestly, I can't take much more of this...
First one came in at 8:00 AM, and the last one just wrapped up at 10:30 PM... what is the point? We'll get back to them when we actually have a moment...
They're just trying to squeeze us...😢😢😢

I had this encounter with a pregnant woman this past Saturday night that honestly left me feeling pretty frustrated.
She was standing right outside a bar where some loud karaoke party was going on inside; she was just leaning against the wall, looking perfectly fine and healthy, but she had a cigarette in her hand. I guess I just found the whole sight incredibly disappointing... and it definitely rubbed me the wrong way. 😠

Help, I am currently in my 8th week of pregnancy and I am just—well, "tired" doesn't even begin to cover it. I am beyond exhausted... I honestly can't find the right words to describe this level of fatigue. I can barely keep my eyes open while sitting down, let alone function. And yet, here I am at work, knowing that a little one is waiting for me at home...
Did any of you go through something similar? I truly don't know how I'm going to power through this exhaustion.
Is it actually normal to feel this depleted?

Nicholas Green69 said:Help, I am currently in my 8th week of pregnancy and I am just—well, "tired" doesn't even begin to cover it. I am beyond exhausted... I honestly can't find the right words to describe this level of fatigue. I can barely keep my eyes open while sitting down, let alone function. And yet, here I am at work, knowing that a little one is waiting for me at home...
Did any of you go through something similar? I truly don't know how I'm going to power through this exhaustion.
Is it actually normal to feel this depleted?

Unfortunately, yeah, it’s pretty standard. I went through the exact same thing, and honestly, I still feel it. It feels like I’d need at least 12 hours of sleep just to feel halfway human.

Michael Barrett11 said:Unfortunately, yeah, it’s pretty standard. I went through the exact same thing, and honestly, I still feel it. It feels like I’d need at least 12 hours of sleep just to feel halfway human.

Oh, tell me about it. I am barely hanging on by a thread here—I can't even begin to describe the level of fatigue. And I haven't even mentioned how much of a struggle it is at the office... If it were up to me, I’d just head home and sleep immediately. My little girl is staying with my mom right now, so when I finally walk through the door at 4:00 PM, there isn't a moment of peace until 9:00...
I’ve actually stopped drinking coffee because the very thought of it makes me nauseous, yet I’m seriously considering having a cup just to stay upright—because I simply cannot function like this...🙂
It feels to me like I need a full twenty-four hours of nothing but lying down and sleeping.
During your first trimester, you actually had the luxury of being able to afford that sort of rest.🙂