What were your biggest pregnancy surprises and pet peeves?

What really got on my nerves... honestly, it was just way too much how everyone kept trying to poke and rub my belly... acting like they had to check exactly where one baby was versus the other... seriously, back off and get lost.
That kind of intimacy is strictly reserved for me and my husband... nobody else gets to lay a finger on me right now.

So now she’s calling me "Auntie" and telling me, "You better get some sleep while you can, because once the baby gets cranky, you aren't getting any rest!" 😠
And honestly? I’ve managed to dodge that whole situation perfectly fine up until now...

Edward Rodriguez4 said:So now she’s calling me "Auntie" and telling me, "You better get some sleep while you can, because once the baby gets cranky, you aren't getting any rest!" 😠
And honestly? I’ve managed to dodge that whole situation perfectly fine up until now...

What really gets under my skin is how everyone is already deciding what kind of kid I'll have—whether they'll be an angel or a little troublemaker. Most people, especially my own mother, tend to lean toward the "troublemaker" prediction. 🙄
But I suppose, looking back at how much of a handful my husband was when he was growing up, 🙂 God forbid the little one inherits my temperament instead. 🤣

Michael Barrett11 said:What really gets under my skin is how everyone is already deciding what kind of kid I'll have—whether they'll be an angel or a little troublemaker. Most people, especially my own mother, tend to lean toward the "troublemaker" prediction. 🙄
But I suppose, looking back at how much of a handful my husband was when he was growing up, 🙂 God forbid the little one inherits my temperament instead. 🤣

Seriously, it's like we're both married to the same guy! 🤣Mine was basically a tiny terror—he once set fire to the neighbor's hay bale... 🙄just one disaster after another. So, I told them straight up: I want this baby to be exactly like me 😍
...

Edward Rodriguez4 said:Seriously, it's like we're both married to the same guy! 🤣Mine was basically a tiny terror—he once set fire to the neighbor's hay bale... 🙄just one disaster after another. So, I told them straight up: I want this baby to be exactly like me 😍
...

Mine once set off one of those massive firecrackers right in the middle of a pig pen!!! The pigs were all huddled in their pens, and when that thing went off, they nearly died of fright. 🙄

He also decided to paint the side of the house with smashed eggs during the middle of summer; you should have seen what happened when that started rotting in the heat. 🤦
And don't even get me started on how he used his little plastic sand shovels and rakes to build miniature campfires.

I suppose I was a handful too, but goodness, I don't think I ever did anything quite that dangerous or stupid. So, I guess I can't really complain if my kid turns out just like me. 😍

So, about the belly,
as far as I’m concerned, nobody even dares to get within a mile of it now.😳

To give you some context, back when I was ten weeks along, I absolutely lost it on my mother-in-law because she just wouldn't stop hovering over my stomach—and by hovering, I mean constantly trying to rub and stroke it 😲 . There were plenty of other little grievances bubbling under the surface, but this particular incident was simply the final straw; I had to firmly point out that the baby is currently nothing more than the size of a tiny pea, so what she was actually doing was just poking at my midsection fat.

Since that little outburst, things have been peaceful, and I can guarantee that no one approaches my stomach without explicit permission from me first.

On a different note, I’m feeling incredibly restless regarding my nursery furniture. I’ve been waiting on the crib, and while the contractor promised it would be finished by the end of the month, I’m really holding out hope that it might arrive before Christmas, just so I actually have enough time to get everything organized...

Edward Rodriguez4 said:Honestly, I can’t even deal with that place... it's just depressing. Everything is way too cramped (and I'm not even pregnant right now!!), everything is scattered everywhere, and there is absolutely zero organization on the shelves. And don't even get me started on the staff... 🙄
When I was there asking some girl where they keep the maternity underwear—she just stares at me and points, and when I turn around, it's just the section for thongs or basic underwear... just regular stuff... 🙄
Like, how many damn thongs am I supposed to need right now? 😂

🤣 🤣 Oh, I just love those "helpful" sales clerks, don't I? 🙂

Around here, Target is alright, but looking at the whole store, there are only a handful of items I actually like, though I guess they aren't breaking the bank. $40 🙂

It’s honestly getting so annoying how everyone keeps telling me my belly looks too big for being only 16 weeks along. I really don't know how to respond to them... 🤷

I've only gained about 7.5 pounds so far, but it feels like it all went straight to my stomach. My digestion has been pretty rough lately, so I feel bloated and tight, especially at night, which is what I try to explain to people... along with the usual "everyone carries differently" talk.

But the ones who really get under my skin are the people who bring up their friends or relatives who didn't even show a bump until a month before they gave birth, 🙄 questioning why I already look soooooooo big. 😠😠😠

At first, I was actually really happy that it was showing so early. I thought I'd get to enjoy seeing it longer, and it made everything feel more real, like my little bundle of joy is actually in there. Now, everyone just ruins that feeling with their constant comments... 😢

And what’s it to anyone else how big your belly is, seriously? 🙄 It’s exactly how it should be, and it looks damn good. 😛
God, people can be such... 🤮

Do you guys feel like you've caught some nasty, contagious, incurable disease from the second you found out you were pregnant??? Because honestly, that’s exactly how it feels to me, I swear. Suddenly, I have nobody to grab a coffee with, and it seems like this "illness" spreads even over the phone, making it hard for everyone to even 😢take a call.
I just feel incredibly lonely and kind of down about the whole thing. 😢

placidwalker6 said:And what’s it to anyone else how big your belly is, seriously? 🙄 It’s exactly how it should be, and it looks damn good. 😛
God, people can be such... 🤮

Do you guys feel like you've caught some nasty, contagious, incurable disease from the second you found out you were pregnant??? Because honestly, that’s exactly how it feels to me, I swear. Suddenly, I have nobody to grab a coffee with, and it seems like this "illness" spreads even over the phone, making it hard for everyone to even 😢take a call.
I just feel incredibly lonely and kind of down about the whole thing. 😢

Yes. Though not quite in the way you described; for me, it’s more about the constant stream of patronizing advice—"stay warm," "dress warmly," "make sure you eat," "get some sleep"...
It's as if they think I'm an idiot. As if I wasn't already doing those things.😠 What really gets under my skin, though, is that this comes from people who aren't even close to me, or people who weren't even on board with the idea of having kids in the first place... so it feels like this massive, performative display of concern, and frankly, I'm sick of it.
I have already told certain people a hundred times that I am not incompetent, I am not sick, and I am not disabled. They don't need to treat me like I've changed; I am still the same person. Please, just get that through your heads. It drives me absolutely insane.

And as for the size of my stomach, ohhh, don't worry, there is always someone with a comment. Mine is supposedly "too small"... and based on its shape, everyone is convinced it's a boy (which it isn't, but it doesn't matter... grandmothers always know, right?) and the cycle continues indefinitely...

Like I mentioned before, it seems that once you become pregnant, you essentially become public property. Everyone feels entitled to comment on your body, touch you, and offer unsolicited advice as if they all graduated from medical school or spent their lives running a daycare center.

So my mom just called me out of the blue—total surprise there—and told me that when I head in for my checkup tomorrow, I should just tell the doctors I'm ready to go into labor right then and there🤷
I honestly can't decide if I should be laughing my head off or just breaking down in tears at the thought..

I have to say, my grandmother’s constant commentary is starting to get under my skin.
I can't help but feel like my bump is getting pretty big for how many weeks I am; I definitely feel quite round lately. 🤣
Since one of my cousins is also pregnant—maybe a week behind me—my grandmother has started comparing us.
She acts like my belly is way too small for being 5.5 months along, claiming that my cousin's bump is much larger. 🙄
Honestly, though, she just has more... well, more fat, not necessarily a bigger baby bump. She gained about 65 pounds during her first pregnancy, which is a massive amount for someone who is 5'4".
So, there I am, walking over to my grandma's place feeling pretty proud of my progress, only for her to tell me that it doesn't look that big yet.
I mean, what am I supposed to look like? A stranded whale on the beach? 😠
And then she goes on about how I need to eat way more food just to make sure I have enough milk later. 😱
As if stuffing yourself with junk food is some kind of guarantee for milk production. 🙂

I have found myself increasingly agitated by several things lately:

1. That specific, rather absurd question people love to ask: "Oh, is the baby alive now?" 🤣
It’s quite obvious they’re just asking because they can finally feel the movement—but goodness, the baby has been alive from the very start, not just since week 20 when we actually begin to notice those little kicks! The heart is already beating away like there's no tomorrow!!!!

2. I received the exact same reaction from both my mother and my mother-in-law: whenever I tried to share my excitement about the latest ultrasound results, they both immediately chimed in with, "Don't go to the ultrasound too often, it's harmful, blah blah blah..." 🤣 Honestly, some people never change, do they?

3. Then there was the moment I made the massive mistake of telling my mother-in-law how excited we were to be looking at cribs and strollers. Her grand conclusion? That we shouldn't buy a single thing until after the baby is born. She even suggested she would buy the crib for my husband's mother while I'm stuck in the hospital (!! Excuse me? Without me present?), and if she doesn't get around to it, the baby might just have to sleep on a pillow or in a basket for a few days 🤣 Well, absolutely not if it's my baby!
I have certainly learned my lesson and am now being extremely selective about what information I share with them!

So I was spiraling today thinking about labor. It hit me out of nowhere—what if my water breaks while I’m dead to the world asleep?! 😲 Like, what if I don't even realize it happened!! 😱
And then there's the other thing... what if I can't grab a decent meal before everything kicks off?? That’s honestly my biggest fear, hands down. Plus, how much is this actually gonna hurt? I know what it feels like when you have a killer toothache, or a massive migraine, or even when you've torn a ligament in your knee or had some brutal surgery without enough numbing agent... 🙄 but who the hell knows how intense this is going to be!
I ended up venting all of this to my mom, and she just absolutely lost it laughing at me. She goes, "Honey, trust me, once that water breaks, you are *definitely* going to notice..." Well, thanks for nothing, Mom!

Anyway, I tried to snap myself out of it by thinking about the good stuff. Like, once this baby is out, I am heading straight to the salon to get rid of all this extra fluff on my backside because, seriously, this pregnancy weight is growing like crazy! I'm already picturing myself grabbing a cold beer—maybe a Guinness or something dark—and getting my nails done too!! Ugh, I seriously cannot wait for that!

Edward Rodriguez4 said:So I was spiraling today thinking about labor. It hit me out of nowhere—what if my water breaks while I’m dead to the world asleep?! 😲 Like, what if I don't even realize it happened!! 😱
And then there's the other thing... what if I can't grab a decent meal before everything kicks off?? That’s honestly my biggest fear, hands down. Plus, how much is this actually gonna hurt? I know what it feels like when you have a killer toothache, or a massive migraine, or even when you've torn a ligament in your knee or had some brutal surgery without enough numbing agent... 🙄 but who the hell knows how intense this is going to be!
I ended up venting all of this to my mom, and she just absolutely lost it laughing at me. She goes, "Honey, trust me, once that water breaks, you are *definitely* going to notice..." Well, thanks for nothing, Mom!

Anyway, I tried to snap myself out of it by thinking about the good stuff. Like, once this baby is out, I am heading straight to the salon to get rid of all this extra fluff on my backside because, seriously, this pregnancy weight is growing like crazy! I'm already picturing myself grabbing a cold beer—maybe a Guinness or something dark—and getting my nails done too!! Ugh, I seriously cannot wait for that!

Speaking of positive vibes—I gave birth about a month ago and finally made it to the salon for highlights and a haircut after three weeks. Total game changer, ladies.

I won't even get started on the sheer relief of being postpartum. 😁 Sure, I have new stressors now, but man, getting rid of that constant pelvic pressure, the massive belly, having to pee every five minutes, dealing with pads, and the constant fear of leaking... not to mention the anxiety over every little cramp, worrying if the baby is moving enough—or moving too much—why they're jumping around, if everything is okay, and why I had to go to those weekly appointments at that nightmare OB-GYN clinic. And yeah, no more heartburn. 😁

Anyway, just wanted to brighten your day a bit. It all passes eventually. 👍

James Anderson8 said:I have found myself increasingly agitated by several things lately:

1. That specific, rather absurd question people love to ask: "Oh, is the baby alive now?" 🤣
It’s quite obvious they’re just asking because they can finally feel the movement—but goodness, the baby has been alive from the very start, not just since week 20 when we actually begin to notice those little kicks! The heart is already beating away like there's no tomorrow!!!!

2. I received the exact same reaction from both my mother and my mother-in-law: whenever I tried to share my excitement about the latest ultrasound results, they both immediately chimed in with, "Don't go to the ultrasound too often, it's harmful, blah blah blah..." 🤣 Honestly, some people never change, do they?

3. Then there was the moment I made the massive mistake of telling my mother-in-law how excited we were to be looking at cribs and strollers. Her grand conclusion? That we shouldn't buy a single thing until after the baby is born. She even suggested she would buy the crib for my husband's mother while I'm stuck in the hospital (!! Excuse me? Without me present?), and if she doesn't get around to it, the baby might just have to sleep on a pillow or in a basket for a few days 🤣 Well, absolutely not if it's my baby!
I have certainly learned my lesson and am now being extremely selective about what information I share with them!

I posted this on another forum a while back too... That question seriously gets under my skin. 😲

Honestly, my phone is driving me absolutely insane!!!! I feel like I’m just one second away from smashing it against the wall 🙄
It seems like it happens every single time, without fail—it always decides to ring right when I’m finally trying to relax, or maybe when I'm just catching a quick nap or trying to get some sleep... I swear, I spend half the night wide awake or just drifting in and out of sleep, which means I end up feeling totally exhausted all through the day, and then the very moment I actually want to rest, it's just zzzzzzzzzzzzzzrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....And don't even get me started on these people; if you don't pick up by the fifth ring, they certainly aren't going to wait for fifty, yet they just sit there in total silence... but if you actually do answer, then they proceed to nag you even more, seemingly completely oblivious to the fact that you really aren't in the mood for a long-winded chat... they just keep rambling on and on about nothing at all 🙄
With my baby due any day now, I really just need some peace and quiet, but I can't seem to find a single moment of either 🙄 I am honestly just so incredibly on edge 😠

Ladies... about sleep. If you’re exhausted, just sleep!!! Don't force yourself to stay awake right now, but the second you start nodding off, get into bed for at least ten minutes!

No, seriously, are you actually going to hold a grudge against me for telling you this?

Newborns have absolutely zero rhythm at first; they couldn't tell day from night if their lives depended on it. You know perfectly well that daytime is for eating, diaper changes, and all that chaos, while nighttime is for sleeping. But honestly, when you first have a baby, you can basically build a little mental fortress and lock the door, because things are definitely not going to work that way anymore! (I'm actually kicking myself for being on Facebook messaging people since 7 AM instead of sleeping until 3 PM! And I regret doing the dishes and hanging up laundry instead of just resting!!! Now, my husband voluntarily watches the baby so I can nap for an hour if we had one of those nights where I didn't sleep a single wink—and I mean literally zero! But the moment the baby lets out even a slightly heavy sigh in his arms in the next room, I'm wide awake. I've developed these superhuman sensors; someone could probably blow a whistle right next to my ear and I wouldn't wake up, but the baby? I hear everything.)

So, bottom line: sleep 👍

And yeah, the unsolicited advice about the baby never stops!!!! It truly never ends!!! (At that point, they stop commenting on your belly size and move on to the baby's size or, of course, how much milk you have—which usually results in them telling you that you aren't producing enough!!! And whatever you do regarding your supply... they'll find something to criticize about that, too...)

It’s honestly driving me a little crazy—I just spent an entire hour in the bathroom prepping for my checkup tomorrow (which basically means I'll probably end up nicking myself with a razor anyway), and then, right as I’m getting ready to moisturize, I realize I used an old, dull blade and missed half the job. So now, instead of a relaxing morning, I’m looking at a 6:00 AM wake-up call to deal with this whole mess all over again..🙄

I was honestly getting so frustrated today trying to hunt down some comfy cotton maternity leggings, but I couldn't find a single pair of maternity pants anywhere near Columbus, Ohio—unless I just completely missed them 🙄. It feels like there’s a bridal boutique on every single corner here 😁. Seriously, imagine how much money they'd make if you could actually wear a wedding dress for nine months straight!