What were your biggest pregnancy surprises and pet peeves?

Honestly, if my mother-in-law starts acting up about this the moment our first little one arrives—like, suggesting we can't even take him for a walk because he hasn't been baptized yet—I am just going to tell her to get real.
I mean, what am I supposed to do? Drag a newborn out into the freezing middle of January to stand by some icy church just so they can pour water over him? He’d catch a cold in a heartbeat. There is absolutely no way I'm doing that.

When he was first born, right after I got home from the hospital, she was already hovering and making a fuss. She ended up staying over at my mom's place since we all live so close to each other. I actually told her not to call anyone else about this. I haven't even brought it up directly to my husband, but he’s smart enough to know that his mother can be incredibly unpredictable and difficult to deal with.😂
If he decides he wants to bring her over, then fine, someone can bring her. But if he chooses to go up to my mom's instead, then I’m just staying quiet. At the end of the day, I really shouldn't have to stress myself out over someone else's mother.

Chase Bank!

First they totally screwed me over with my loan payments because once I switched over to unemployment benefits through the state office, I was basically left hanging. Like I said before, "I should have assumed I had to physically walk into the branch myself to pay the installment" (they didn't send me a SINGLE notification, not by mail, not online, NOTHING!!!) and then one day my benefit hits, and I check my app thinking I can withdraw some cash. I get to the ATM and nothing. Nothing works. It won't even show me my balance!!! So I go back online to try and buy a phone credit just to see what happens, and the screen just stares back at me: "Account Blocked"!! Again, ZERO NOTIFICATION!!!! These people are absolute bottom-feeders, seriously...

Wish me luck today. I’m heading back under the knife for surgery to get an ulcer cut out 😢 it hurts... it fucking hurts... goddammit, life is just one big ulcer...

Noah Ramirez7 said:So I swung by my sister-in-law's place yesterday to drop off some Kinder Bueno for her... and wouldn't you know it, her mom—aka my mother-in-law—was right there... ugh, just my luck!
..She immediately started dumping all this "expert" advice on me about how I’m doing everything wrong... first, she was badgering me to use a baby carrier for a week-old newborn. I told her straight up: no way. I’m not interested in carrying anyone else's kid, especially one that tiny, and I definitely don't want someone constantly lugging my own baby around in a wrap. She goes, "Oh, come on, just hold him..." and I'm like, look, if it were mine, I'd be holding him and carrying him myself because he's mine, but I'm not touching someone else's baby, period. But honestly, you can't explain logic to her... and oh my god, the way she was holding that poor little thing... seriously, heaven help us. My sister-in-law told her a hundred times to watch the baby's head, and she just goes, "Oh, mine was fine." 🙂 Then she moved on to telling me never to give a baby a pacifier... then she started going on about how back in her day, they used to wash diapers in a creek or something. Like, excuse me? Am I supposed to go find a stream and wash diapers in the woods now? And then she brought up how she used to bathe her kids before the umbilical cord even fell off. I told her, absolutely not, I am not risking an infection like that, it's just not safe. She just insists nothing bad will happen. 😠 Then came the absolute nonsense, like wearing a red string around the wrist for luck, or how a baby isn't allowed to leave the house until they've been baptized... it's just too much. Finally, my husband just snapped. He told her he was totally fed up with all the unsolicited advice and basically said everyone here had their turn being parents and proved they weren't exactly experts, so they should just let us raise our kid our way. If I want to use a pacifier, it's my call; if I want to use a bottle, that's my business. That shut her up for a second, but then she started bragging about how hard she worked during her pregnancy (meanwhile, I'm just chilling at home with my six housekeepers doing everything for me) talking about how she carried heavy buckets of water and even painted the house right before she gave birth. Like, girl, are you actually serious? Just... wow.
..Then she had the nerve to ask me why I'm not baking anything for Christmas. Honestly, I wanted to tell her: I won't be. I'll just send my husband to the local soup kitchen to pick up some food for us since I don't cook a single thing or do anything for her. Such a cow... she thinks just because I don't brag about making a specific meal or a batch of cookies that I don't know how to do it. Last weekend she acted so surprised when she asked my husband if he was hungry (she always asks him because the poor guy barely eats anything) and he said he'd had some chili. She's like, "Where did you eat it?" and he says, "At home." I'm pretty sure she doesn't have the slightest clue how to make chili herself... grrrrrrr... she irritates me so much. If my father-in-law had been there, she would have completely lost her mind. 😠

I know exactly what you mean! My mother-in-law used to carry heavy buckets of firewood up and down the stairs five times a day!! Just imagine that kind of strength in a pregnant woman!!! 😁 To hell with her and her wood.

All of them were like I told you—working in the fields from sunrise to sunset, then labor hits, they rush into the cornfield, pop the baby out, wrap the kid up, leave him on the side for a second while they finish up these rows (and the next four rows), and then they just head home with the baby, you know? 🙄

And don't even get me started on those "baby carrying methods"... no doctor is good enough for them!! If she says it's a boy, THEN IT'S A BOY!! Why the hell should I argue when three different doctors told me it's a girl?? ☕

If I ever turn out like that, someone please just kill me. Put me on the tracks and let a freight train take me out.

It honestly drives me absolutely insane when people act like every single mother-in-law is just some pushover who thinks we’re all totally incompetent... like we don't know anything, or we aren't good enough, or we aren't actual mothers, or even real women, or whatever else they want to throw at us...

God, they seriously know how to push your buttons... I’m honestly terrified of what my mother-in-law is going to be like once I actually have this baby. She’s totally clueless when it comes to newborns—I mean, she raised her own two kids, but they’re grown adults now. I can't even wrap my head around how she’ll handle my little one. She’ll probably be constantly worrying about his head or his spine or something, because honestly, everything she does in life is just so careless and rushed. Ugh!!! Every time I see😠 I know I’m going to be stuck constantly nagging, "Watch out, watch out!" and then she’ll just take offense. The absolute worst part is when you’re hovering over that baby like a hawk, trying to keep them safe, and then someone else just comes along and acts completely reckless😱

coppermarlin14 said:Honestly, if my mother-in-law starts acting up about this the moment our first little one arrives—like, suggesting we can't even take him for a walk because he hasn't been baptized yet—I am just going to tell her to get real.
I mean, what am I supposed to do? Drag a newborn out into the freezing middle of January to stand by some icy church just so they can pour water over him? He’d catch a cold in a heartbeat. There is absolutely no way I'm doing that.

When he was first born, right after I got home from the hospital, she was already hovering and making a fuss. She ended up staying over at my mom's place since we all live so close to each other. I actually told her not to call anyone else about this. I haven't even brought it up directly to my husband, but he’s smart enough to know that his mother can be incredibly unpredictable and difficult to deal with.😂
If he decides he wants to bring her over, then fine, someone can bring her. But if he chooses to go up to my mom's instead, then I’m just staying quiet. At the end of the day, I really shouldn't have to stress myself out over someone else's mother.

Mine said the exact same thing—that the baby needs to be baptized as soon as possible.🙄
Naturally, I have no intention of putting my newborn through that ordeal in the middle of winter. We'll wait until summer hits and call it a day.😉

Ugh, totally forgot to mention this part...
So my mother-in-law basically hit me with this nonsense the other day. Seriously, the whole pregnancy—we’re talking eight full months in—she hasn't bought a single thing for the baby. Not one thing. Whatever, her business, right? But then out of nowhere, she calls me up and goes, "Oh, I already picked up that thing you wanted a while back, but I'm not giving it to you because it's pink. I thought it was gonna be a girl." Like, seriously? 😕😛😠
It's just pathetic. I mean, how do you even guess? You wait until the ultrasound shows the gender before you go on a shopping spree, obviously. So I told her, "Fine, just give whatever you bought to someone else who actually has a girl," and she's all like, "Well, I thought it would be a girl since everyone in my family is male." Please. 🙂 What an absolute clown...

I can’t say I expect any drama with my mother-in-law, mostly because she hasn't had the audacity to meddle in our business or offer unsolicited advice on how we run our lives—so, really, credit where credit is due. She’s always been much more devoted to her eldest son, who is essentially the golden child, and by extension, his wife and their one little boy, who is currently the center of her universe. Since I married the younger brother, I’ve mostly been an observer to this dynamic, where if the older brother so much as snaps his fingers, she’s already halfway out the door to do his bidding, largely because they provide the financial backbone for everything. We’re actually facing a bit of a logistical nightmare coming up in January; it looks like I’ll be stuck in the maternity ward, while she’ll be over in the gynecology wing for a minor procedure, and my nephew will also be in the pediatric unit for surgery. And get this—listen to the sheer nerve of her—she actually told our family doctor, "Please don't schedule my surgery for January; my daughter-in-law needs to give birth, and he needs to be ready for her, plus there’s another grandmother who can step in to help." Honestly, I think she was just saying that to be polite, because deep down she knows my parents will be right there by my side for everything. For her, it's all about the panic of not being able to fly over the second the baby comes home from the hospital and being expected to play the role of the tireless, hovering grandmother—and we all know exactly why that is.
My child isn't even here yet, but I have this sinking, gut-wrenching feeling that there will always be a blatant hierarchy between these two grandchildren... but I suppose it doesn't matter, as long as my own parents stay healthy and around for as long as possible.

What really gets under my skin is her pattern of behavior. We’re fine right now—everything is smooth—but eventually, a family argument is bound to break out. As soon as things don't go exactly her way, she starts acting superior, shuts everyone out for a month, and flies off to Italy. Then, when she finally decides to come back, it’s like nothing ever happened. Suddenly, we're all acting like everything is perfectly fine again.🤣

My mom just called me, and honestly? Lord, help me. We’re talking, right? And we drift into this whole conversation about what happens when the little guy finally arrives. She starts going on about how my husband is gonna throw this big celebration at the office for everyone, and then she goes, "Oh, please, no big fuss, I'll just bake him a batch of homemade apple pie and that's that." Like, seriously? There are literally 60 people at his firm... I felt physically sick just hearing it. I told her, "Look, you can't just show up with one tray of pie; there has to be some finger foods, cookies, cake, appetizers... you can't just do that." She actually started getting all offended and indignant. I mean, come on. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, the first baby

I don't even need to get into the whole buying thing because let's be real, nobody actually bought anything, nobody even offered to chip in, and honestly, nobody is ever going to, and frankly, I couldn't care less... there are plenty of other grandparents out there who will step up and handle the shopping anyway. 😍
And as for the party... the big celebration and the christening... I’m not planning on doing anything massive or over-the-top or anything. Whoever shows up, of course, they’ll have plenty of cake, meat, appetizers, and all that good stuff, but I am absolutely not looking to organize some huge spread at a restaurant—even though I know everyone would prefer that so they could just show up, eat, drink, and bring some cheap junk like that Chinese food > Harold Cook2 mentioned... I’d much rather take that money and put it straight into my kid's savings account or buy them something they actually need. ☕

Ronald Davis22 said:I can’t say I expect any drama with my mother-in-law, mostly because she hasn't had the audacity to meddle in our business or offer unsolicited advice on how we run our lives—so, really, credit where credit is due. She’s always been much more devoted to her eldest son, who is essentially the golden child, and by extension, his wife and their one little boy, who is currently the center of her universe. Since I married the younger brother, I’ve mostly been an observer to this dynamic, where if the older brother so much as snaps his fingers, she’s already halfway out the door to do his bidding, largely because they provide the financial backbone for everything. We’re actually facing a bit of a logistical nightmare coming up in January; it looks like I’ll be stuck in the maternity ward, while she’ll be over in the gynecology wing for a minor procedure, and my nephew will also be in the pediatric unit for surgery. And get this—listen to the sheer nerve of her—she actually told our family doctor, "Please don't schedule my surgery for January; my daughter-in-law needs to give birth, and he needs to be ready for her, plus there’s another grandmother who can step in to help." Honestly, I think she was just saying that to be polite, because deep down she knows my parents will be right there by my side for everything. For her, it's all about the panic of not being able to fly over the second the baby comes home from the hospital and being expected to play the role of the tireless, hovering grandmother—and we all know exactly why that is.
My child isn't even here yet, but I have this sinking, gut-wrenching feeling that there will always be a blatant hierarchy between these two grandchildren... but I suppose it doesn't matter, as long as my own parents stay healthy and around for as long as possible.

Look, in America, it's totally normal for families to play favorites like this, so I don't see why it wouldn't happen here too... it's like none of the kids are any good except for the one from my sister-in-law... hers are basically gold, you know? And I can't even wrap my head around loving the little guy... I know, I know, he's a baby and I shouldn't feel this way, but seriously, that kid is just so incredibly irritating and I can't stand him, it's actually wild... and I don't think it's just us either, because his grandparents act like he's some kind of perfect little angel... oh man, if you could only hear how they brag about how well he eats or how he plays so nicely... it honestly makes my skin crawl when they start acting like that.
..and I am right there with you... I just want my folks to stick around forever... at least then my kid will actually get to experience what having real, awesome grandparents is all about. 😍

Harold Cook2 said:My mom just called me, and honestly? Lord, help me. We’re talking, right? And we drift into this whole conversation about what happens when the little guy finally arrives. She starts going on about how my husband is gonna throw this big celebration at the office for everyone, and then she goes, "Oh, please, no big fuss, I'll just bake him a batch of homemade apple pie and that's that." Like, seriously? There are literally 60 people at his firm... I felt physically sick just hearing it. I told her, "Look, you can't just show up with one tray of pie; there has to be some finger foods, cookies, cake, appetizers... you can't just do that." She actually started getting all offended and indignant. I mean, come on. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, the first baby

He’s planning on throwing a massive party, inviting coworkers, friends, and all the relatives.
I've already made it clear to him several times: the nursery where the baby sleeps will be kept locked, and once the guests leave, everything needs to be scrubbed clean—especially the toilet with some Clorox.

Douglas Booth22 said:He’s planning on throwing a massive party, inviting coworkers, friends, and all the relatives.
I've already made it clear to him several times: the nursery where the baby sleeps will be kept locked, and once the guests leave, everything needs to be scrubbed clean—especially the toilet with some Clorox.

We're stuck in an apartment, so there's zero chance I'm hosting that entire crowd... just no room. If we had a house with a yard and the weather wasn't miserable, sure, we could host people and whatever, but in this setup? Not happening.

Goodness, what a mess... honestly, just a total headache. I’m actually quite lucky—I don't have a mother-in-law to contend with—but instead, I have my own parents, who, quite frankly, believe they are the ultimate authorities on everything under the sun. I am twenty-three years old, yet she insists it is far too early for me to consider having a child—as if I haven't the slightest inkling of how life works—despite the fact that she had me when she was only nineteen herself. Then there is the constant commentary regarding finances—how we "aren't buying anything" because heaven knows who might decide to gift something for a christening later on. It is such an absurd line of reasoning; am I supposed to wait until a baptism occurs to see if someone feels like bringing over a stroller or a gift basket? And in the meantime, I suppose the baby will just sleep on the floor! It makes no sense—if people truly intend to give something, they should simply buy it, rather than making these strange, passive proclamations. I have already told her that I plan to purchase whatever is necessary, especially since I don't intend to stop at just one child. But of course, she immediately went to discuss it with my father, claiming I am being "immature"—arguing that it is too difficult to give everything to one child, let alone more—while lecturing me about how "tough times" are. It is exhausting. Honestly, looking back at how they managed to put the three of us through school on my father’s meager salary and those odd little side jobs... I can't help but think that with the combined income from my husband and me—which is easily double what they had—we will be perfectly fine. If I could just snap my fingers and fix all this tension, I would.

Noah Ramirez7 said:Look, in America, it's totally normal for families to play favorites like this, so I don't see why it wouldn't happen here too... it's like none of the kids are any good except for the one from my sister-in-law... hers are basically gold, you know? And I can't even wrap my head around loving the little guy... I know, I know, he's a baby and I shouldn't feel this way, but seriously, that kid is just so incredibly irritating and I can't stand him, it's actually wild... and I don't think it's just us either, because his grandparents act like he's some kind of perfect little angel... oh man, if you could only hear how they brag about how well he eats or how he plays so nicely... it honestly makes my skin crawl when they start acting like that.
..and I am right there with you... I just want my folks to stick around forever... at least then my kid will actually get to experience what having real, awesome grandparents is all about. 😍

I second that completely.👍

I am honestly at my wit's end with these new neighbors living directly below us. They have this relentless habit of dragging chairs and heavy furniture across their hardwood floors at all hours of the day and night. It is absolutely maddening. I genuinely cannot wrap my head around how they sleep through it; the constant scraping sound is driving me up the wall, not to mention the fact that they’re likely gouging up those nice floors 🤷.

Nathan Smith12 said:I am honestly at my wit's end with these new neighbors living directly below us. They have this relentless habit of dragging chairs and heavy furniture across their hardwood floors at all hours of the day and night. It is absolutely maddening. I genuinely cannot wrap my head around how they sleep through it; the constant scraping sound is driving me up the wall, not to mention the fact that they’re likely gouging up those nice floors 🤷.

And you think that's bad? You should see the absolute lunatics living above me. They've been in this apartment complex since '94, and honestly, I've never met such total maniacs. All day long, it's just constant dragging of heavy furniture, banging, slamming... they even chop wood right in the middle of their kitchen. Total freaks. 😠 And don't even get me started on the husband—the guy rolls in drunk every other day and starts beating his wife. She's screaming, things are flying across the room... I'm seriously just waiting for my ceiling to cave in one of these days. Absolute psychos. It’s all fine until I have my baby, and then what? When the kid finally falls asleep and they start the fighting and the slamming again? My child is going to be traumatized. It’s gonna be a complete circus, and let me tell you, I am definitely not putting up with that.

Harold Cook2 said:And you think that's bad? You should see the absolute lunatics living above me. They've been in this apartment complex since '94, and honestly, I've never met such total maniacs. All day long, it's just constant dragging of heavy furniture, banging, slamming... they even chop wood right in the middle of their kitchen. Total freaks. 😠 And don't even get me started on the husband—the guy rolls in drunk every other day and starts beating his wife. She's screaming, things are flying across the room... I'm seriously just waiting for my ceiling to cave in one of these days. Absolute psychos. It’s all fine until I have my baby, and then what? When the kid finally falls asleep and they start the fighting and the slamming again? My child is going to be traumatized. It’s gonna be a complete circus, and let me tell you, I am definitely not putting up with that.

I honestly cannot wrap my head around that. Why on earth would you be dragging furniture around constantly? My neighbors are bad enough—it’s like they’re rearranging their entire wardrobe every single day... Have you actually said anything to them, or are you just biting your tongue?

My situation isn't nearly as extreme as yours, so I feel a bit silly complaining, but it still gets under my skin...

Nathan Smith12 said:I honestly cannot wrap my head around that. Why on earth would you be dragging furniture around constantly? My neighbors are bad enough—it’s like they’re rearranging their entire wardrobe every single day... Have you actually said anything to them, or are you just biting your tongue?

My situation isn't nearly as extreme as yours, so I feel a bit silly complaining, but it still gets under my skin...

I don't know, I swear it feels like every few days something is getting shifted around. Total maniacs, I'm telling you. My husband is just like, "What else am I supposed to expect?" I told my wife how insane this behavior is and how we've been putting up with this crap for 16 years straight, but she just defends him. Then he comes home and lays into her—crazy house, seriously. She’s terrified to say a word to him, even though they've been married for over 30 years. She claims he's always been this way, even harassed her back when she was pregnant. Honestly, I can't bring myself to feel bad for women like that when they end up getting screwed over... and let her go wandering the streets if she doesn't have any shame, especially since she's got her own apartment where she keeps renters. But the absolute worst part is when he starts screaming and smashing things in the middle of the night. Can you imagine trying to sleep through that? You jump out of bed and have no clue what's happening. My heart has stopped from pure terror more times than I can count.

Harold Cook2 said:I don't know, I swear it feels like every few days something is getting shifted around. Total maniacs, I'm telling you. My husband is just like, "What else am I supposed to expect?" I told my wife how insane this behavior is and how we've been putting up with this crap for 16 years straight, but she just defends him. Then he comes home and lays into her—crazy house, seriously. She’s terrified to say a word to him, even though they've been married for over 30 years. She claims he's always been this way, even harassed her back when she was pregnant. Honestly, I can't bring myself to feel bad for women like that when they end up getting screwed over... and let her go wandering the streets if she doesn't have any shame, especially since she's got her own apartment where she keeps renters. But the absolute worst part is when he starts screaming and smashing things in the middle of the night. Can you imagine trying to sleep through that? You jump out of bed and have no clue what's happening. My heart has stopped from pure terror more times than I can count.

Well, your neighbors sound like absolute nothing! Zero! I don't have anything like that... 🙄 (we live in a house, and they're in the house right next to us)
So, a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I were in the room watching TV and I hear this rustling sound... kind of like water running or something... 😂 man... I can almost laugh about it now! It was pitch black, so I opened the balcony door and heard the noise, but I couldn't see a thing. I checked to make sure it wasn't coming from our side and then... lord help me, I'm such a disaster, I didn't even care at first. The next day... holy crap! There was literal crap all over my side of the yard!!! 😱 To make a long story short—for some reason, those idiots attached their sewage pipe wrong against the house and ran it down into the ground, and the whole thing just broke loose because it wasn't secured to the wall properly 🤣🤣
Absolutely horrifying... but hey, at least he cleaned it up! 😬