What were your biggest pregnancy surprises and pet peeves?

It’s a bit irritating how almost every day, someone in my neighborhood approaches me with this deeply concerned tone, asking if I'm alright... and when I ask what they think, I tell them I'm fine, nothing's wrong, yet they still stare at me like I just landed from Mars. I suppose I don't quite understand the motivation behind it. 🙂
Maybe they're just unhappy seeing that I'm actually doing well. 🙂

Ugh, that whole "how are you doing?" question really gets under my skin sometimes.
Honestly, the "is everything okay?" version is even worse—it’s so nagging. My mother-in-law calls me basically every other day just to ask that one thing. It actually starts making me spiral into these dark, anxious thoughts because I don't even think about things being "wrong"—I mean, how am I supposed to know if everything is fine when I'm just waiting for my next doctor's appointment? 🙂

Then there's my mom, who tried to push this old vest on me the other day because she thinks all pregnant women live in vests. I can say whatever I want, but let's be real—hardly any pregnant woman isn't wearing a vest at some point. 🙄

What vest are we even talking about? 🙂

It’s just a vest—helps protect your kidneys and stuff. 😁 Honestly, even women who wouldn't be caught dead in one usually start wearing them once they're pregnant! I went through a bit of a rough patch myself, but I still haven't picked one up. 🙂

Chris Kim16 said:It’s just a vest—helps protect your kidneys and stuff. 😁 Honestly, even women who wouldn't be caught dead in one usually start wearing them once they're pregnant! I went through a bit of a rough patch myself, but I still haven't picked one up. 🙂

😂Honestly, this is the absolute peak of the nonsense I've had to listen to lately. 🤣🤣🤣

Chris Kim16 said:It’s just a vest—helps protect your kidneys and stuff. 😁 Honestly, even women who wouldn't be caught dead in one usually start wearing them once they're pregnant! I went through a bit of a rough patch myself, but I still haven't picked one up. 🙂

Oh, that's just the classic "old wives' tale" we grew up with. People wear those things everywhere just because they're terrified of catching a kidney infection or something. I got lectured about it constantly when I was a kid, too. 😬

Chris Kim16 said:It’s just a vest—helps protect your kidneys and stuff. 😁 Honestly, even women who wouldn't be caught dead in one usually start wearing them once they're pregnant! I went through a bit of a rough patch myself, but I still haven't picked one up. 🙂

😂

Haven't heard anything about this one yet, I guess. 😁

I mean, I’m all for the vest, but maybe pregnant women should probably skip it. 😁)

This belongs in the "what surprised me" section of the thread...
Yesterday, I attended my first prenatal class under the impression that I would be engaging in something productive, 🤣 such as breathing exercises or similar techniques one typically sees portrayed in movies. 🙂 Upon arrival, however, I was met with quite a reality check. 😁 We were ushered into a room filled with harps, where about fifteen women gathered like they were at a small-town town hall meeting, and the midwife began chatting with the unbridled enthusiasm of someone posting on an internet forum, only in person. Two hours passed in that manner. To be fair, I did learn a few useful things and had a decent laugh, so all was well. What truly struck me, however, was how incredibly diverse we all were. Physically speaking, there were women who clearly carried significant extra weight prior to pregnancy, which seemed to exacerbate certain unhealthy trends; meanwhile, the woman sitting next to me—exceptionally young, charming, and remarkably slender, likely weighing no more than 130 pounds at 27 weeks—informed me she was expecting twins. I found myself wondering where the extra space was being held, but having been educated by this forum, I simply told her she was lucky and that her bump looked wonderful (to ensure she didn't spiral into thinking it was too small; proportionally to her frame, it was quite large, though she appeared to have almost nothing else on her).

The individual who truly stunned me was the woman seated on my other side. She appeared to be in her late thirties, also quite thin, and proceeded to recount her entire life story to me in brief summary. She expressed an intense aversion to her mother-in-law coming to help, to which I offered the suggestion that perhaps her husband could explain the boundaries to his mother. She replied, quite bluntly, that her husband does not speak to his mother, followed by a detailed explanation of why. While I hesitate to pry into such private matters, I believe context is necessary for you to understand (and it isn't as if she shared this in confidence): she suffers from muscular atrophy, and lost her first pregnancy due to fetal deformities. When her mother-in-law insisted that the loss was a "sin," her husband ceased communication with his mother entirely. After suffering a second miscarriage, she finally succeeded with IVF on her third attempt, as she could no longer risk using her own genetic material. I was somewhat taken aback by such an immediate outpouring of intimacy from a stranger, so I merely noted, "It is wonderful that the IVF worked so quickly," in an attempt to pivot toward a more positive topic.

After the session concluded, we all stepped outside, and this woman—who had just walked out of a hospital setting—immediately lit up a cigarette.

I am genuinely at a loss; I have never smoked, and while I realize some people find it impossible to quit, I find it baffling that someone who underwent IVF following two miscarriages would feel compelled to smoke immediately. Naturally, I said nothing beyond a polite "see you at the next class," but I was left utterly stunned.

I don't understand why everyone is so obsessed with me giving birth early.🙂
It’s constant—everyone commenting about how this is my second child and claiming I’ll inevitably go into labor ahead of schedule just because "it always happens" with women.🙂
Frankly, none of their business. That little swimmer will decide when she's ready.😠

I honestly get hit with such a ridiculous barrage of silly questions lately, like people asking if I’m planning on having a royal baby just because I’m on a specific diet. It’s wild. I suppose I get it, though—people generally have no clue how to actually talk to a pregnant woman, so everything ends up being this overly anxious "how are you feeling?" check-in (and frankly, I'm still a little stunned by how much everyone seems to care about my physical state) or they start pointing at my stomach or asking invasive things like whether I drink or smoke. Personally, I might indulge a little here and there, but that's about it. What really gets under my skin, though, are those unsolicited pieces of "advice," like telling me I absolutely need to eat a mountain of bananas or that I must avoid certain foods at all costs. I’m talking about the kind of suggestions nobody even asked for, usually coming from women who have already had kids and suddenly act like they're medical experts. One lady even tried to tell me I needed to take extra Omega supplements just so the baby would be smarter. Seriously? Gaaaah.

Laura Barnes42 said:I honestly get hit with such a ridiculous barrage of silly questions lately, like people asking if I’m planning on having a royal baby just because I’m on a specific diet. It’s wild. I suppose I get it, though—people generally have no clue how to actually talk to a pregnant woman, so everything ends up being this overly anxious "how are you feeling?" check-in (and frankly, I'm still a little stunned by how much everyone seems to care about my physical state) or they start pointing at my stomach or asking invasive things like whether I drink or smoke. Personally, I might indulge a little here and there, but that's about it. What really gets under my skin, though, are those unsolicited pieces of "advice," like telling me I absolutely need to eat a mountain of bananas or that I must avoid certain foods at all costs. I’m talking about the kind of suggestions nobody even asked for, usually coming from women who have already had kids and suddenly act like they're medical experts. One lady even tried to tell me I needed to take extra Omega supplements just so the baby would be smarter. Seriously? Gaaaah.

Ugh, people asked me the exact same thing.

But I honestly had no clue what they were even talking about. Is it actually true that women go blind from straining during delivery?! (Assuming they already wear glasses, I guess)

There is just no way I'm buying that!

I wear soft contacts, so I’d probably just show up to the hospital with those. Does anyone know if that's actually okay? 😕

rowdyjackal12 said:Ugh, people asked me the exact same thing.

But I honestly had no clue what they were even talking about. Is it actually true that women go blind from straining during delivery?! (Assuming they already wear glasses, I guess)

There is just no way I'm buying that!

I wear soft contacts, so I’d probably just show up to the hospital with those. Does anyone know if that's actually okay? 😕

I wouldn't risk it. A lens could slip out of place, and you'll end up needing an eye doctor to fish it out because you won't be able to do it yourself...😉

People are still giving me grief about my dog (because dogs bite kids) and calling me selfish for working instead of resting, claiming my kid needs me to de-stress...🤷 🙄

Chris Kim16 said:It’s just a vest—helps protect your kidneys and stuff. 😁 Honestly, even women who wouldn't be caught dead in one usually start wearing them once they're pregnant! I went through a bit of a rough patch myself, but I still haven't picked one up. 🙂

🤣 I still cannot 🤣 quite wrap my head around her saying "fur coat" instead of

chiara My boyfriend's mother just told me that boys are actually born earlier than girls. 😁

Peter Hall6 said:🤣 I still cannot 🤣 quite wrap my head around her saying "fur coat" instead of

chiara My boyfriend's mother just told me that boys are actually born earlier than girls. 😁

yeah, she's clueless 😁 girls are born first, obviously! 😁

wanderinghawk said:I wouldn't risk it. A lens could slip out of place, and you'll end up needing an eye doctor to fish it out because you won't be able to do it yourself...😉

People are still giving me grief about my dog (because dogs bite kids) and calling me selfish for working instead of resting, claiming my kid needs me to de-stress...🤷 🙄

wait, how would they even move? 😕

i mean, i actually want to see what's going on around me, not be stuck like some blind guy in a dark room trying to grab onto someone's sleeve or shoulder like: what's even happening right now?? what are those people down there doing??

i just want some visual control, i guess.

also, can you wear glasses with contacts? ☕

rowdyjackal12 said:wait, how would they even move? 😕

i mean, i actually want to see what's going on around me, not be stuck like some blind guy in a dark room trying to grab onto someone's sleeve or shoulder like: what's even happening right now?? what are those people down there doing??

i just want some visual control, i guess.

also, can you wear glasses with contacts? ☕

It can slip up under the eyelid if you move your eye the wrong way... My godmother is an ophthalmologist and she's dealt with this several times... That's why I went with my glasses on. 🤷

And you could've just had them during labor, right?

rowdyjackal12 said:And you could've just had them during labor, right?

Glasses... sure...

wanderinghawk said:I wouldn't risk it. A lens could slip out of place, and you'll end up needing an eye doctor to fish it out because you won't be able to do it yourself...😉

People are still giving me grief about my dog (because dogs bite kids) and calling me selfish for working instead of resting, claiming my kid needs me to de-stress...🤷 🙄

Well, I’m not sure if I believe it, but there’s this idea floating around that it isn't just dogs to worry about; apparently, even rabbits can be a problem. Some people claim they actually go after small children, or at the very least, a kid might end up getting sick just from the shock of seeing one. I don't know, it sounds a bit far-fetched to me, but you never know what kind of stories start circulating these days.🤣
I felt like everyone was giving me these strange, judgmental looks because I’m being kept on such close watch—literally, my test results were just barely above the threshold, so there doesn't seem to be any clear rule for why they're treating me this way. It makes me wonder if my little one is just feeling the stress of it all, since we've been stuck inside the house all day long.🤣

Peter Hall6 said:🤣 I still cannot 🤣 quite wrap my head around her saying "fur coat" instead of

chiara My boyfriend's mother just told me that boys are actually born earlier than girls. 😁

🤣 🤣 looks like they want to get you pregnant early too 🤣