What were your biggest pregnancy surprises and pet peeves?

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Honestly, all this unsolicited advice is just driving me up the wall. Everyone thinks they’re an expert, jumping in to tell you exactly how things are going to go, what you should expect, how you'll feel... it’s just constant, endless noise...
I seriously don't understand why they don't make earplugs and sleep masks mandatory equipment for pregnant women?😳

I couldn't help but think of you all today...
I was out grabbing some pastries with my mom at a local bakery in Seattle, and this sweet little old lady started chatting me up. She kept asking how far along I am and all that usual stuff. When I mentioned I already have two little girls, she just looked at me and said, "Well, those kids aren't to blame! You'll get a boy next time."🤣
My mom and I just gave each other a side-eye and absolutely lost it laughing.
By the way, I had a bit of a rough time on the bus earlier—people were being a little too pushy with the elbowing—but that’s usually just the younger crowd. Honestly, the hardest part about being pregnant is just trying to dodge elbows in a crowd!

Seriously, some people just can't help themselves.
I have this neighbor who acts like she’s everyone’s grandmother... just an incredibly irritating old busybody. She’s constantly bragging about her son, who’s a doctor, like he’s some kind of national hero.
Back when I was pregnant with my first, she had the nerve to ask if I was having a girl or a boy. I told her it was a girl. She just goes, "Well, hopefully the next one is a boy." I didn't hold back—I shot her down immediately. I told her, "Actually, I'd much prefer a girl," just to mess with her. I mean, it doesn't really matter to me, but I wanted to see her face.
Now that I'm pregnant again, whenever she sees me out and about, she doesn't even dare to ask.🙂

I am losing my mind because I have hemorrhoids!!!🙂

I’m only 26 weeks 😢 along. What is this going to be like by the end, let alone during labor?

Running to the CVS right now to see what’s actually safe to use while pregnant before this thing flares up and gets even worse.

Some guy totally tried to bully me on the subway yesterday...

A lady stood up to leave, and I was just about to take the seat, when this guy basically shoved me aside and lunged for it... Since I’ve never been one to sugarcoat things, I just looked at him and said, "Well, thank God you're pregnant too... but don't worry, please, stay seated..." He just stared at me, and honestly, that was the end of it...

What an idiot.

Adam Evans62 said:I am losing my mind because I have hemorrhoids!!!🙂

I’m only 26 weeks 😢 along. What is this going to be like by the end, let alone during labor?

Running to the CVS right now to see what’s actually safe to use while pregnant before this thing flares up and gets even worse.

Mine showed up after I gave birth. I used something with a propolis base... I think...
I'll check the label and let you know..........
Everything hurts right now .........so I just collapsed onto the couch and I am absolutely not moving.........😂

Adam Evans62 said:I am losing my mind because I have hemorrhoids!!!🙂

I’m only 26 weeks 😢 along. What is this going to be like by the end, let alone during labor?

Running to the CVS right now to see what’s actually safe to use while pregnant before this thing flares up and gets even worse.

If it helps at all, I've been dealing with them since the end of middle school. Honestly, nobody can top my record. And (knock on wood) they haven't gotten any worse—it's always just been the same, so it's been going on for many years now...

Sean Long4 said:Some guy totally tried to bully me on the subway yesterday...

A lady stood up to leave, and I was just about to take the seat, when this guy basically shoved me aside and lunged for it... Since I’ve never been one to sugarcoat things, I just looked at him and said, "Well, thank God you're pregnant too... but don't worry, please, stay seated..." He just stared at me, and honestly, that was the end of it...

What an idiot.

😠😠😠 That’s exactly why I hate public transit! It’s always full of morons.

Right now, what's really getting to me is that my husband has to stay late at work every single day, and the weather is so beautiful outside while I'm stuck here crawling around the house.

It honestly drives me up the wall when this lady flashes her face right in my eyes and takes up the entire screen! 😠

Hannah Lewis2 said:It honestly drives me up the wall when this lady flashes her face right in my eyes and takes up the entire screen! 😠

The frog is getting on my nerves too.

Jesse Evans85 said:If it helps at all, I've been dealing with them since the end of middle school. Honestly, nobody can top my record. And (knock on wood) they haven't gotten any worse—it's always just been the same, so it's been going on for many years now...

😠😠😠 That’s exactly why I hate public transit! It’s always full of morons.

Right now, what's really getting to me is that my husband has to stay late at work every single day, and the weather is so beautiful outside while I'm stuck here crawling around the house.

Yeah, totally 👎 I’ve had them since eighth grade too 😢

I'm not 100% sure though... because I don't really bleed that often, and there isn't anything physical to feel or anything, it's just some occasional pain and spotting here and there 👎 but back when they first showed up, I was bleeding almost every single time for at least two years... then it just leveled off, and now it's just once in a while, maybe once every couple of months... I never really used anything special for it, I guess my glutes just toned up a bit over the years 😬 🤷

Well, I ended up being the one thinking about you guys today too... my own mom actually asked me if the baby had "come back to life" yet. 🤣
I was sitting here reading through your comments, thinking to myself, "What kind of strange people ask such incredibly mindless questions?" But apparently, I shouldn't have judged so quickly, because it didn't take long at all before I found myself on the receiving end of the exact same thing. ☕

It drives me absolutely insane how my ass becomes the center of attention everywhere I go. 😠

Even at work, the cleaning lady is back at it again with her comments.

So I head over to my mom's place and ask her straight up if it's really such a disaster—mind you, I still fit into all my old jeans without a struggle—but she just tells me that yeah, it’s gotten bigger, lost its shape, and looks saggy and gross, like some old lady. 😢

Give me a break. I was on bed rest just three days ago because of some bleeding, and she has the nerve to tell me, "You didn't even need to rest; you'd look the same whether you walked or stayed still, and you'd probably look more normal now."
Then she lights up a cigarette and fills the whole room with smoke (since she smoked while I was being carried around, and now I'm supposedly "back to normal"). 😠😠 😠

Yeah, right. I guess that's what happens when you go from daily workouts to nothing but sitting, lying down, and pacing a hallway. Thank God they finally cleared me for activity, otherwise I'd be totally screwed... I've started walking an hour a day again, so hopefully that does something. 🤷

...Today, I decided to take a quick little ride on the light rail after quite some time... and honestly, I had absolutely no intention of grabbing a seat since I was only traveling three stops
...but during those three stops, people shoved and pushed me so aggressively just to reach a tiny bit of space in that crowded mess of a train... everyone just acts like they’re oblivious, like they can't see anything happening right in front of them
...and now my stomach is doing absolute flips🙂))... I actually feel fine personally—I didn't want to sit down because it was such a short trip—but there's always the chance that some pregnant woman
might really need that seat or could end up feeling physically ill, yet these people will just continue to pretend they don't notice. It is truly appalling... I am genuinely disappointed....... grrr

I was just sitting here reading over the new one-time payment amounts released by the City of Zion... $600 and get this—they’re splitting the first child benefit into just two installments throughout the year!! It is an absolute disgrace!! They keep piling new costs onto our shoulders—it feels like there's a new fee every single week—yet they keep slashing our benefits!! And then people have the nerve to claim we don't want children; it's no wonder the country is struggling under its own weight! Honestly, it feels like they're just pinching pennies when it comes to kids. Meanwhile, we're out here working ourselves to the bone, yet those politicians live like royalty—paying for luxury travel and fancy retreats while they pocket our hard-earned money to buy massive estates! It's just ridiculous...

boldcrane143 said:...Today, I decided to take a quick little ride on the light rail after quite some time... and honestly, I had absolutely no intention of grabbing a seat since I was only traveling three stops
...but during those three stops, people shoved and pushed me so aggressively just to reach a tiny bit of space in that crowded mess of a train... everyone just acts like they’re oblivious, like they can't see anything happening right in front of them
...and now my stomach is doing absolute flips🙂))... I actually feel fine personally—I didn't want to sit down because it was such a short trip—but there's always the chance that some pregnant woman
might really need that seat or could end up feeling physically ill, yet these people will just continue to pretend they don't notice. It is truly appalling... I am genuinely disappointed....... grrr

Man, the subway and being pregnant? Not exactly the best combo. Sometimes I'll hop on, find a seat immediately, and then at the next stop, an elderly guy gets on—barely able to move without his cane—and I'm surrounded by three or four high schoolers or college kids, and nobody even flinches. I'll just stand up for him and stay a bit further away, mostly out of pure disbelief. Nobody reacts. I couldn't believe it, like, where is this society even heading 😲. It's not like I expect everyone to jump up for me; honestly, when it's packed, I usually stick near the doors so if I start feeling unwell, I can just get off. And I don't want to trigger anyone's guilt by making them feel like they *have* to stand up, so I don't mind standing. Besides, for some people, standing really is hard—they're coming home from a long shift or they're just exhausted and happy to have a moment to rest.

But there were days during my last pregnancy where it was legitimately difficult. I was way past my due date, going in for checkups every other day, it was summer, and it was hot enough to make you lose your mind. Plus, after an amniocentesis, the pressure and discomfort were real. Back then, I was in a state where I just needed to sit down and go home. I always tried to board the subway when it wasn't crowded so I could grab a seat, but a few specific moments really stuck with me—especially one time when I felt truly awful; I got on through the back doors, stood at the very end, and this younger woman just stared at me for a few stops until I eventually sat down once some guy else got up.

I just don't get these young girls/women. What kind of upbringing leads to that? I've lived in a big American city for years, and I've never once failed to give up my seat for a pregnant woman, a mother with a kid, or someone visibly elderly and frail. I wonder what goes through their heads and how they aren't embarrassed to just ignore someone, especially since they'll be in that exact same position one day. 👎

Gosh, I went on a bit of a rant there, but I just had to vent my "commuter" frustrations somewhere 😁

I wrote a whole post and then deleted it... so I guess I'll just write a shorter version...
My husband and I were at a local DMV yesterday picking up some new registration papers for the car. It was sweltering outside, and I was feeling pretty nauseous...
We grabbed our paperwork and headed straight to the counter because, you know, pregnant women get priority over everyone else.
Naturally, the people behind us started grumbling about us cutting in line.
My husband lost his cool and started shouting that I'm pregnant and they should be able to see that!
People were just snapping back like, "So what?!"
Then, to our absolute shock, the rude clerk tells him
that he shouldn't be arguing with customers and that he could have just let me handle the counter alone.
He was just standing there looking completely bewildered...

I honestly couldn't believe a woman would actually say something like that.
Like, I am pregnant and I have priority—what is even the issue?!??
My husband stepped outside to grab a smoke, and a coworker asked her what happened, and she just goes,
"He went out to light up."
With this incredibly stupid, smug look on her face. At that point, I told her
she was being totally uncivilized.
It was just awful, truly awful.
I was in total disbelief...

Later, as we were heading back toward the insurance office, she was outside smoking and said, "Here come my little troublemakers from the counter."
By then, my husband had calmed down, but I honestly felt like slapping her...
I almost wanted to just snatch the papers from her hands, walk to a different window,
and flip off every single person in the building while sticking my tongue out!!
Yesterday was just such a frustrating mess...

Rebecca Vaughn7 said:It drives me absolutely insane how my ass becomes the center of attention everywhere I go. 😠

Even at work, the cleaning lady is back at it again with her comments.

So I head over to my mom's place and ask her straight up if it's really such a disaster—mind you, I still fit into all my old jeans without a struggle—but she just tells me that yeah, it’s gotten bigger, lost its shape, and looks saggy and gross, like some old lady. 😢

Give me a break. I was on bed rest just three days ago because of some bleeding, and she has the nerve to tell me, "You didn't even need to rest; you'd look the same whether you walked or stayed still, and you'd probably look more normal now."
Then she lights up a cigarette and fills the whole room with smoke (since she smoked while I was being carried around, and now I'm supposedly "back to normal"). 😠😠 😠

Yeah, right. I guess that's what happens when you go from daily workouts to nothing but sitting, lying down, and pacing a hallway. Thank God they finally cleared me for activity, otherwise I'd be totally screwed... I've started walking an hour a day again, so hopefully that does something. 🤷

I would honestly just shut her up once and for all. 🙂 🙂
I seriously cannot wrap my head around your mother. Like, what is wrong with her? She is straight-up unhinged. (Sorry for insulting your mom, I don't know what she's usually like, but this is just a total train wreck).

Yesterday, one of my mother-in-law's friends comes over and tells me how much weight I've put on. Man, I wanted to punch her...
She should have just kept her mouth shut. Her own daughter gave birth a month ago and she was literally huge—like, she was over 220 pounds and gained like 65 pounds during the pregnancy—and nobody said a single word to her.
Right now, I'm at 135, which is still way less than what her daughter weighed before she was even pregnant.
I absolutely loathe those trashy, low-class comments.
I'm 7 and a half months pregnant and I've only gained about 18 pounds. I don't see what the big deal is. 😕

neonsurfer32 - I honestly don't buy that you have that kind of ass... it's not like you made it out of sugar and water just to melt away at the first sign of rain... and I highly doubt muscle mass deforms that much in just a few weeks..
I’m bloated. My ass is actually huge right now—pregnancy style, full and heavy... call me fat if you want, I don't care... 🥳
Yesterday some neighbor told me he wished I’d have a girl instead, like why do I even need more men 😠... so I asked him: "Why on earth would you assume I'm looking for one?" He just stood there, so I told him straight up that what I actually want is a healthy baby and to carry this pregnancy to term... absolute idiot. He has no clue I’ve already lost two pregnancies, so maybe think before you open your mouth, right?

The photos are lying to me... trust me... I’ve already put on 11 pounds (16 weeks 😲) and it’s all settling in my hips and butt. Even looking at a front-on shot, I can see my hips have widened out 😂
But honestly? I'm at the stage where I just don't care anymore... and I actually feel great 😬

I’ve totally filled out in my hips and booty, but my stomach? Still hasn't moved an inch!!!
And here I was hoping I'd just get that cute little round belly... nope, totally went the other way😂😂
But hey, I still look pretty good myself!!!