What were your biggest pregnancy surprises and pet peeves?

Samuel Ross60 said:As for me, I’m going to keep helping people when I can, because I refuse to let the sheer lack of basic decency in others turn me into just another self-absorbed idiot focused entirely on myself.

🙏

That's basically what I was getting at.

Whatever. Their problem, not mine. I'm not letting it get to me.

rowdyjackal12 said:🙏

That's basically what I was getting at.

Whatever. Their problem, not mine. I'm not letting it get to me.

Precisely. If I end up becoming one of those people myself, then I’ll have absolutely no right to complain about anything later on.

Furthermore, I find this pervasive intolerance toward the elderly to be utterly baffling; of course they’re going to rush for the subway or the bus, because they are well aware that nobody is going to get up to offer them a seat. These are seniors, and while I realize there are all sorts of personalities out there, life is simply harder for them. They are old.
We are all eventually going to reach that stage of life—hopefully—and we will likely behave exactly the same way, especially since every subsequent generation seems to be getting more difficult to manage.

As for the rude individuals who clearly never learned how to behave in public, I’m perfectly happy to give them a quick lesson in basic etiquette; their behavior doesn't affect me, and I see no reason why I should suffer through someone else's discomfort just to be polite.

Samuel Ross60 said:Precisely. If I end up becoming one of those people myself, then I’ll have absolutely no right to complain about anything later on.

Furthermore, I find this pervasive intolerance toward the elderly to be utterly baffling; of course they’re going to rush for the subway or the bus, because they are well aware that nobody is going to get up to offer them a seat. These are seniors, and while I realize there are all sorts of personalities out there, life is simply harder for them. They are old.
We are all eventually going to reach that stage of life—hopefully—and we will likely behave exactly the same way, especially since every subsequent generation seems to be getting more difficult to manage.

As for the rude individuals who clearly never learned how to behave in public, I’m perfectly happy to give them a quick lesson in basic etiquette; their behavior doesn't affect me, and I see no reason why I should suffer through someone else's discomfort just to be polite.

It doesn't necessarily mean things are difficult for them just because of their age.
Maybe, in a given moment, someone who's feeling physically exhausted, maybe has a kid running around them and a dozen grocery bags in their hands, finds standing much harder than some 70-year-old gentleman would.
I mean, it wouldn't hurt him to stay standing for maybe three stops.
Besides, manners aren't really tied to age; it’s not about how old you are, it's just that, I guess, that kind of attitude is baked into our culture.☕

I wasn't attempting to draw any comparisons regarding who has it harder, because simply stating that someone else is struggling doesn't mean your own experience with pregnancy is somehow less taxing.
I am not disputing anyone's situation, nor am I trying to downplay what others are going through. However, looking at the entirety of this subway situation, it isn't just composed of elderly passengers; there are younger people in there too who are perfectly capable of standing up.

I'm specifically referring to the section of the post where the author mentions older folks rushing for the subway and compares them to pregnant women.

Samuel Ross60 said:I wasn't attempting to draw any comparisons regarding who has it harder, because simply stating that someone else is struggling doesn't mean your own experience with pregnancy is somehow less taxing.
I am not disputing anyone's situation, nor am I trying to downplay what others are going through. However, looking at the entirety of this subway situation, it isn't just composed of elderly passengers; there are younger people in there too who are perfectly capable of standing up.

I'm specifically referring to the section of the post where the author mentions older folks rushing for the subway and compares them to pregnant women.

Sure, plenty of people could probably stand up—teenagers, retirees, middle-aged folks. But the reality is, they often don't.
And as for those seniors rushing to catch the bus or the train—well, we all see that happen.
It might not be that hard for them to sprint a little bit to snag a seat, but staying on their feet for two stops? That's where the struggle actually lies.
Please, give me a break...🙄
Someone who is truly struggling to stay upright probably isn't the type to be sprinting or elbowing their way through a crowd just to grab a chair.☕

I don't see eye to eye with you on this at all; I find myself picking up the pace just to secure a seat, and while it’s a struggle to move that quickly only to end up collapsing into a chair completely winded, I'd much rather deal with that than endure standing for three whole stops.

What I am actually curious about is how many of you were actually offered seats when you were older or pregnant, because personally, I always base my expectations on my own experience. If I was always given a seat, then I certainly have the right to complain when I'm ignored, but if I wasn't, well...

But we are drifting off-topic now.

Samuel Ross60 said:I don't see eye to eye with you on this at all; I find myself picking up the pace just to secure a seat, and while it’s a struggle to move that quickly only to end up collapsing into a chair completely winded, I'd much rather deal with that than endure standing for three whole stops.

What I am actually curious about is how many of you were actually offered seats when you were older or pregnant, because personally, I always base my expectations on my own experience. If I was always given a seat, then I certainly have the right to complain when I'm ignored, but if I wasn't, well...

But we are drifting off-topic now.

I mean, why would you even feel the need to agree with me in the first place?🤷
It isn't that I'm refusing to run for the bus during my pregnancy or anything; it's more that I can barely manage to step onto a low-floor city bus without struggling.
Since walking is heavy and standing is even harder right now, I guess it follows that running isn't really an option either.

I haven't really sat down on buses or subways for years, mostly relying exclusively on public transit for my commute to work.
Back when I used to sit, I always made sure to yield my spot to seniors, pregnant women, or small children...
Which is exactly why all this is getting under my skin, because it makes me feel like one of those rare idiots who actually bothers to follow some kind of outdated social etiquette.

urbantinker8 said:I mean, why would you even feel the need to agree with me in the first place?🤷
It isn't that I'm refusing to run for the bus during my pregnancy or anything; it's more that I can barely manage to step onto a low-floor city bus without struggling.
Since walking is heavy and standing is even harder right now, I guess it follows that running isn't really an option either.

I haven't really sat down on buses or subways for years, mostly relying exclusively on public transit for my commute to work.
Back when I used to sit, I always made sure to yield my spot to seniors, pregnant women, or small children...
Which is exactly why all this is getting under my skin, because it makes me feel like one of those rare idiots who actually bothers to follow some kind of outdated social etiquette.

No one is claiming I have to agree with you, but surely I am allowed to voice an opinion that happens to contradict yours, right?

I still get up, too—I’ll stand up right now if I decide someone else is having a harder time than I am, regardless of whether the other ignorant people around me stay seated.

My point is simply that it irritates me how many people only start pretending to care about manners once they themselves become the ones who are weaker or less healthy.

Samuel Ross60 said:No one is claiming I have to agree with you, but surely I am allowed to voice an opinion that happens to contradict yours, right?

I still get up, too—I’ll stand up right now if I decide someone else is having a harder time than I am, regardless of whether the other ignorant people around me stay seated.

My point is simply that it irritates me how many people only start pretending to care about manners once they themselves become the ones who are weaker or less healthy.

Right, and you immediately decided that I was one of those types of people.🙄
Whatever.

Of course you can share your opinion, but maybe you don't need to label me as being intolerant toward the elderly just because I'm calling out how some people act on the subway.
Because, I mean, we both know that some folks will practically sprint toward an empty seat the second they spot one.
It isn't about being intolerant; it's just observing a pretty common reality.

No, I didn't conclude that, good grief, don't be such an argumentative type!

I wasn't suggesting that you personally are intolerant, rather I was expressing my lack of understanding regarding this general intolerance toward the elderly, but it seems you insist on taking every single post as a direct personal affront.

Samuel Ross60 said:No, I didn't conclude that, good grief, don't be such an argumentative type!

I wasn't suggesting that you personally are intolerant, rather I was expressing my lack of understanding regarding this general intolerance toward the elderly, but it seems you insist on taking every single post as a direct personal affront.

But if you weren't referring to my post, then who on earth was it directed at?😕🤷

Look, everyone, I’m going to lay this out for urbantinker8 so we can finally put this to rest, because honestly, continuing this back-and-forth feels like a massive waste of energy.
You mentioned how much elderly people get on your nerves, which prompted my own observation regarding this general, inexplicable intolerance toward the older generation.
You know that specific feeling when you read something and it just triggers a deeper train of thought that you feel compelled to write down? That is exactly what happened here.
The point is, you aren't the first person to come along and vent about being irritated by the elderly.
Is that clear enough now?

Yeah, I suppose that makes sense, though I still don't quite grasp what you mean by this specific kind of intolerance.
The whole point of this thread was supposed to be about the things that actually get under our skin while we're pregnant.
So, I guess I just laid it out pretty clearly when I mentioned how much it rattles me—amongst other things—dealing with those older folks who seem to flip-flop between being totally energetic one minute and barely able to move the next.
But hey, whatever.

A total showdown. 😁
(And now that I actually need him, where did that guy go—the one always snacking on popcorn?)

What a fight, honestly!😁

urbantinker8 said:What a fight, honestly!😁

I saw an email saying you posted a popcorn emoji
but I don't see it anywhere right now. 😢

Dana Brown8 said:I saw an email saying you posted a popcorn emoji
but I don't see it anywhere right now. 😢

It was there, and then it just vanished.🤷

urbantinker8 said:It was there, and then it just vanished.🤷

He's useless now 😢
That’s what gets to me... I finally go to use it for the first time and it's gone 🤣

I got totally blindsided today by this group of super young guys—probably construction workers grabbing a quick lunch break—over at 🙂 There were at least 15 of them ahead of me in line, and honestly, every single one of them had a cart packed to the brim, yet every last one of them stepped aside to let me go first 🙂 I’m not even joking, it actually moved me to tears; I was a hair away from a complete emotional breakdown right there in the aisle 😁 All I could manage to squeeze out was a breathless, "Oh my god, thank youuuuu!" 😁

Jonathan Wright4 said:I got totally blindsided today by this group of super young guys—probably construction workers grabbing a quick lunch break—over at 🙂 There were at least 15 of them ahead of me in line, and honestly, every single one of them had a cart packed to the brim, yet every last one of them stepped aside to let me go first 🙂 I’m not even joking, it actually moved me to tears; I was a hair away from a complete emotional breakdown right there in the aisle 😁 All I could manage to squeeze out was a breathless, "Oh my god, thank youuuuu!" 😁

I mean, I almost teared up too when this older lady at the VIP lounge let me cut ahead of her.

Me: Nooo, really, you don't have to. Seriously, it's fine.
Her: Don't even start. You go ahead of me. Just shut it. Did you hear me? I used to carry babies, too.
Me: Oh my goddddd. Okay, thank youuuu so much 😍 😍

I swear I almost melted right there on the floor 😍 from how sweet it was.